Cigarettes & Slaughterhouses
by darkens4841
Summary: Senior year is finally here, and everyone discovers what life really has in store for them, and they must decide what path to follow if they want to survive. See inside for more info. Chapter 6 up finally!
1. The Last Day Part I

**Disclaimer:** Polar bears are left handed, and I do not own Naruto

**Warnings: **Yaoi, yuri, rape, violence, drugs, sex, gangs, alcohol, language, suicide, character death, cutting

**Pairs:** Don't know all of them yet, but probably NejixLee, ShikaxIno, SakuraxIno, NarutoxSasuke, TayuyaxKankuro, AnkoxIno, KakashixIruka, GaaraxSomebody…haven't decided

**Summary:** Senior year is finally here, and everyone discovers what life really has in store for them, and they must decide what path to follow if they want to survive.

Chapter 1: The Last Day Pt. 1

The sun shone brightly through the young man's window and he cracked open one eye. He turned over with a grunt and pulled the covers high over his head despite the sweltering summer heat in his room. He was about to drift off into another dream filled slumber before the phone rang, the sound piercing his ears and jerking him awake. He grunted again and lugged his body out of his oh so comfortable bed and trudged over to his phone.

"Hn," was all he decided to say. Whoever was calling better not have expected a friendly hello, and instead a rude goodbye unless it was important.

"Dammit Naruto! Everyone is here already, where the hell are you. Don't tell me you were still sleeping!" A shrieking voice echoed through the telephone and the blonde squinted his eyes and pulled the phone away from his ear for a second before responding.

"Fine, I won't tell you." The young man gave a curt response out of annoyance. She of all people should no better than to bother him so early, it was only 12:45 for crying out loud!

The woman on the other end did not respond to his remark, but he knew she was fuming with annoyance as well. He cringed at the thought of her fist connecting with his head, so he decided to be pleasant, if only for the moment. "Whatever Sakura, I'll be there in a few, just chill for once." He grunted a good bye and hung up. Never said he succeeded at being pleasant. He rubbed his eyes and yawned while searching his messy room for some suitable outer wear. He spied a somewhat clean pair of jeans partially under his bed and pulled them out to smell them.

As he did this, one of his nudie magazines slid out with it and he smirked. He would have flipped through it for a minute or ten, but Sakura-and probably everyone else-would kill him for being late again and forcing them to stay out in the summer heat for longer than necessary. He shoved it back under his bed and out of view. Even though he lived by himself, he still felt it necessary to hide his…sexually suggestive reading material. He wasn't really sure why, perhaps just habit, or should he decide to bring home a girl, it would have been a necessary precaution to avoid a horrible ending of what could have been a promising night.

He pulled on the jeans after he deemed them worthy of recreational wear and pulled an undershirt and t-shirt out of his drawer. He glanced in the bathroom mirror and rubbed a hand through his messy hair before brushing his teeth. Before he left, he thought about making a pot of coffee just to piss Sakura off, but decided against it. He grabbed his keys and hurried out the door to his car. He was about to start it before he realized he left his radio in his apartment.

"Shit!"

He walked back into his apartment and grabbed it before heading back out, not even trying to hurry. He carefully secured his radio into its designated spot and turned the car on. He put a CD in and after setting on a song he liked, lit a cigarette and finally put his car in gear and drove off. God how he loved pissing Sakura off.

* * *

"It's about damn time, Naruto!" Sakura shrieked as Naruto stepped out of his car. He shrugged as he walked over to the group. Almost everyday since before they even entered high school, Naruto and a group of his friends would meet up at the park in the middle of the town and hang out there or decide what to do for the day. The group was so closely knit, that it was habit to show up there, even if nothing was planned. They usually coagulated under the ramada near the parking lot, never venturing much deeper into the park anymore. 

"It ain't my fault y'all wake up so fuckin' early," he said after he sat down next to his friend with a messy pony tail wearing dark sunglasses, dark clothes, and motor cycle boots with a cigarette.

The man nodded and added, "Tell me about it, at least she's better than Ino about it," he took a drag of his smoke and muttered "troublesome woman" under his breath.

"Whatever Shikamaru, you're the one who chose to go out with her, although it was bound to happen sooner or later." Sakura rolled her eyes at her lazy friend. The woman had medium length pink hair (she never revealed its origin to anyone because it was hard to tell if it was dyed or not, only her closest friends knew the truth), and astonishingly green eyes. She was wearing some loose jeans and black converse with a black tank top. Her studded belt and wristband caught the reflection of the sun and would occasionally travel to someone's eyes.

"Come on guys, it is most youthful to wake up early. I myself wake up every day at six a.m. and run 8 miles. It is quite refreshing." Rock Lee, and energetic man with a bad hair cut and gigantic eyebrows that resembled caterpillars gave a thumbs up and a wide smile. He was wearing a tight green shirt that showed off his muscles and jeans with…sandals and socks. It wasn't just his haircut that was bad. The only reason he didn't get pummeled at school for his style was because he was a star athlete in track, gymnastics, and swim.

Everyone rolled their eyes and someone leaning against one of the polls gave a grunt and smirked.

"Well excuse me _Sasuke_ for not having natural ability when it comes to athletics. Although imagine how good you would be if you trained a bit harder, you might be able to beat me in a race then." Lee smiled at his statement and Sasuke glared. Sasuke was a well sought after basket ball and tennis player. He was also on the track team with Lee, but was never able to beat his time in the 800 meter dash, or any dash, and didn't have a chance in the distance running so he switched to pole vaulting and, of course, quickly excelled. He was wearing all black with dark eyeliner and painted nails. He had his bangs combed in front of his face, and Naruto teased him relentlessly for being such an Emo Boy, which usually earned himself a punch to the head.

"Guys, it's hot out here, let's just go already. When does the movie start?" Naruto was beginning to grow impatient.

"Half an hour." The last member of the group spoke up from his spot at a table in the middle of the ramada. Naruto looked over to the man wearing a white collard shirt and jeans with converse, Neji Hyuuga. He was staring at Naruto with his pale eyes through his blue tinted shades.

"We should get goin' then, I wanna see the previews!" Naruto jumped up and headed to his car as he pulled out a cigarette. After he lit it however, Sakura reached over and pulled it out of his mouth and placed it between her own lips.

"Payment for being late." She winked and took a drag. Naruto rolled his eyes and lit another one.

"Wait, where's Ino?" Naruto looked around with a confused look on his face.

"She's gonna meet us there with Hinata. She had something to take care of with her mom I think." Shikamaru stood up and stretched. "She might be there already, I'll have to deal with her wrath if I'm too late. I'll head off now, peace out guys." He adjusted his glasses and got on his motorcycle. He started it up and pulled out of the parking lot quickly.

"I guess we should be leavin' as well, come on Lee." Sakura motioned to Lee who followed her to her car. They lived near each other so they often carpooled. Though everyone thought it was for other reasons besides living proximity.

After Sakura's red convertible left in the same direction as Shikamaru, Naruto looked over at his two remaining friends who simply shrugged and stood up. Neji and Sasuke weren't particularly close, but they had a lot of things in common, so they tolerated each other. They both stemmed from wealthy families, for example. This was confirmed when Sasuke and Neji entered their vehicles, a blue corvette and silver mustang respectively. Naruto always thought this was funny, Ford™ and Chevy™, always competing against each other, and everyone had a preference. He smiled as he got into his own car-a red piece of shit that barely ran-and followed his comrades out of the park.

* * *

"Damn that movie sucked!" the blonde haired woman shrieked as the group left the theater. Ino Yamanaka had her fish net covered hands to her head as she walked. "Waste of money that's what I think." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and stuck his hands in his pockets after they were thrown off Ino's shoulder when she began to practically pull out her hair. 

"That's what we get for letting Naruto choose." Sakura crossed her arms and half glared, have smirked at her friend with the unruly blonde hair.

"Ouch Sakura, that was cold." Naruto put his fist to his chest pretending to stab his heart. His green-eyed companion rolled her eyes and sat down next to Sasuke on the water fountain.

"It was pretty bad though, I mean, there was absolutely no plot, just guns, explosions, swearing, and the occasional confusing dialogue." Everyone looked to Hinata Hyuuga, Neji's cousin, and Naruto's ex-girlfriend. She used to be extraordinarily shy, but when she broke up with Naruto, she had gained some self confidence. That was actually why they broke up, Hinata didn't need Naruto like she did before, and they simply thought it was pointless to stay together in such a romantic, needy fashion. Perhaps this was the reason they still hung out.

Ino removed her hands from her head and sighed, "Typical guy movie." She rolled her eyes and laid her head on Shikamaru's shoulder, who pulled his hand out of his pocket and placed it on her shoulders seeing that she had calmed down.

"Hmph, why do you think he picked it?" it was Sasuke who spoke this time. "More like typical Naruto movie." Everyone reacted to the normally silent man's remark, even Neji gave a smirk. Naruto feigned hurt once more and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. You guys seem to forget who provides you with delicious alcoholic beverages." The whole group was silenced when Naruto said this and he smirked.

"Good idea Naruto, let us go raid your fridge!" Lee gave a thumbs up and grabbed Sakura by her elbow and dragged her to her car. She managed to give a half-ass wave as she was being pulled.

"What, at least wait for me, it is my home!" Naruto hurried to his car so fast he nearly lost his cigarette and pulled out of the lot right after Sakura.

Ino looked over to Hinata with a sorry look on her face. Hinata knew immediately what she meant and smiled back, "Don't worry Ino, I can get a ride from Neji." She walked over to Neji who wore a look of indifference on his face. They both walked to Neji's mustang and got in. They watched Neji roll down his window and light a cigarette before they pulled out, loud rock music heard long after the car had left the parking lot.

"Well Shika, shall we head off too?" Shikamaru visibly flinched at the use of his nickname in front of Sasuke, who smirked, and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah troublesome woman." He rolled his eyes and took a drag of his cigarette.

"You know you love me." Ino smiled and grabbed Shikamaru's smoke and took a drag. She turned over to Sasuke with a curious look on her face. "You gonna leave any time soon?"

Sasuke looked at her with a blank look on his face, "Hn."

The group had known Sasuke long enough to be able to interpret Sasuke's minor grunts, and this one was no different: _eventually_.

"See ya later then." She smiled at him and she and Shikamaru left to get into their respective vehicles.

The ebony haired man gave a small sigh and pulled out a cigarette and ran his fingers over it. He felt the small seam of the paper, the filter at one end and the tobacco at the other. A tiny bit of it detached and flew to the ground. There was no breeze to take it away to unknown and interesting places, and Sasuke pondered this for a moment, being a tiny piece of a tobacco leaf. He pulled himself out of his daze and lit the smoke and sat there for another short moment thinking, before he finally stood up to rejoin the others.

* * *

"Stop looking on my screen dammit!" Naruto kept his eyes on his television as he rapidly pressed buttons on the videogame controller. 

"If it's the same TV, everyone's screen is fair game." Sasuke replied calmly as killed Naruto for the umpteenth time. (I'm not gonna say what game it is, but it starts with an H and ends with an alo…best one I could think of)

"Hmph, that's cheating." Naruto pouted as he went searching for Sasuke to reap his revenge, and got sniped in the back. His face fell, and Sakura smirked. When he respawned he forgot about Sasuke briefly and went in search of Sakura-and got sniped again. "Screw you guys, I'm done, here ya go Ino."

"Yay, you're goin' down Sakura."

Ino was fighting Sakura when Sasuke came up and both turned on him before Sakura realized something was wrong. "Where's Neji?"

Neji smirked right before all three blew up from a rocket blast. Game over. "This game sucks." The system was turned off and the channel was changed.

"Hey, turn it on Comedy Central, the new Bill Engvall special is on!" Naruto jumped over the back of his couch and landed in between Sakura and Sasuke, and didn't spill a drop of his beer.

"What?" Ino gave a look to Naruto after she got up to sit next to Shikamaru.

"Yeah, I've been waiting for this, I missed the premier. He's hilarious!" Naruto turned up the TV and proceeded to tune everyone out.

Lee stretched his back and stood up to take Ino's abandoned seat. He looked over to Hinata with a questioning look. "What is the matter, Hinata? You have been awfully quiet this afternoon?"

"I've just been thinking about tomorrow, that's all." She gave a somewhat worried smile before continuing. "I mean, it's the first day of our senior year. Kinda makes you wonder."

"I see what you mean, but it's nothing to really dwell on. It is something that has to be done. And we have each other if something should go wrong!" with this, Lee clapped Sakura and Neji on the back. Sakura smiled and Neji glared. "It is going to be a year of new developments and happenings. This is the year that I finally take first chair away from Sasuke!"

Neji rolled his eyes, but there was a glimpse of a smile, "You say that every year Lee, perhaps it is your destiny to be second chair?"

"Hn." _You couldn't beat me if my arms were broken._

"We shall see! I have practiced during summer whenever I was not training!" Lee gave a thumbs up and Sasuke went back to watching the TV, though still not really listening.

"Shikamaru, are you up for a game of shogi?" Neji looked to his lazy friend and got a small nod. Both of the men stood up and went to the board in the back corner of the room and began to set up the pieces. It was strange that Naruto would have a shogi board, but he decided that it made him look smart if girls came over, and it provided something to do aside from video games and porn.

Sakura called back from the couch, "I'll take winner." Usually the winner was Shikamaru as the reigning champion. But both of the men were practically undefeated against anyone else, so this game could go either way.

Ino got up and sat next to Sakura. "You gonna join the team or somethin'? You seem to be playin' an awful lot recently."

"Meh, could be fun." Sakura merely shrugged. Shogi Team wasn't exactly the most nerdy thing she could do, but it was pretty high on the list. For some reason though, she didn't care. Maybe it was because she was a senior now, and it's not like she had to impress her friends or peers, they didn't care. She had been thinking about it, she liked the game and she was pretty good. Shikamaru and Neji were both on it, so she would have some friends to chill with.

"Shika said you should, they could use a player like you." Sakura smiled and Ino giggled when she heard Shikamaru sigh at his nickname.

"We'll see." She was distracted by a joke about free-range eggs and then stunned when she heard a small chuckle from Sasuke.

_Wonder what I'm gonna do this year. With Itachi gone, things'll be nice and quiet. Maybe I should join the shogi team as well. Nah, that sounds like a distraction. Hinata is right, all of this is slightly overwhelming. Nothing I can't handle though, although it may be slightly troublesome. Now I sound like Shikamaru. Maybe I'll tell my parents this year, they should probably know about-free range chicken, what the hell? Why am I watching this, oh yeah, he's why. Damn him- free range egg, heh heh. Uh oh._

"Wow Sasuke, I didn't think you would ever allow yourself to laugh at this, at least when in the presence of people." Naruto was staring at him with wide cerulean eyes.

"Hn" _I don't know what you're talkin' about._

"Oh, come on now, we all heard you. That was most definitely a laugh!"

"Hn" _So._

"Haha, Sasuke thought something I liked was funny!" Naruto was practically rolling on the floor laughing.

"Hn" _Do you want to die a horrible and painful death?_

"Heh, sorry. You were the one that laughed though." Naruto ducked just in time to miss a pillow chucked at his face. Said pillow hit Sakura square on who gave a glare to put any Uchiha in his place.

"Sorry." _Naruto started it._

"Whatever." Sakura went back to the TV briefly before she heard Shikamaru declare checkmate on Neji. She jumped over the back of the couch to take Neji's place.

"Guys, I'm starvin', let's order pizza or somethin'" Naruto rubbed his stomach and made a pathetic "I'm starving" face.

"What a great idea, I shall go get it!" Lee jumped up and went to put on his sandals.

"Um, Lee, you don't have a car." Hinata stared at Lee like he was crazy along with mostly everyone in the room except Shikamaru who was thinking deeply about his next move.

"It is no problem. It is only 2 and a half miles away. I shall be back shortly!" Before anyone had time to protest he was out the door.

"That man's got some stamina." Neji said with a smirk as he took Lee's spot.

* * *

"Checkmate." 

"Dammit, thought I had you there." Sakura frowned and stared at the finishing position. Losing her third game in a row. They had decided to keep playing since Naruto kept picking what to watch.

"You did, but you didn't see it in time." Shikamaru got up and stretched and yawned. He walked over to the counter and grabbed another piece of pizza. Lee had moderately surprised everyone by returning in under an hour carrying nearly half a dozen pizzas and two 2 liter sodas. Some of them worried what would become of him if something happened when he went and did something like that. He had no cell phone to call for help. They joked, however, that he would walk on his hands if both his legs broke, and roll if all his limbs broke. Although it might not have been a joke.

"It is time for us to make our leave." Neji stood up and went to put on his shoes. "Your father would not be pleased if we came home late the night before the first day of school." Hinata nodded and went to get her shoes as well.

"See you guys tomorrow. Try not to get too drunk, okay?" Hinata smiled and followed her cousin out the door.

"What does she mean by drunk? This is only my third beer!" Naruto held up 5 fingers.

"Wow, seniors. Pretty trippy huh?" Ino looked over to her friends, who were all wearing confused faces.

"Trippy?" Sakura stared at her friend.

"That's her new word." Shikamaru sighed as he finished his slice of pizza.

"I like it!" Lee smiled a wide smile and began experimenting with his new word under his breath.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Lee and looked back to Ino, "Yes, pretty trippy indeed."

* * *

AN: Okay, I did a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter, simply because it is the first, and I don't plan to do much in the remaining chapters. So if you like to analyze stories and look for hidden messages, have at it. If you don't know what foreshadowing it, ask your 5th grade English teacher. R&R if you want, and just for the hell of it FIRST REVIEWER GETS A REQUEST! -goes into Lee mode- I will finish this story this summer, and if I cannot, I shall do 200 pushups! 

p.s. sorry for any errors at the end. I didn't realize what an incompetent typist I was so late at night…well early in the morning.


	2. The Beginning of the End

**Disclaimer**: Coca Cola used to be made with cocaine, and I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 2: The Beginning of the End

"-three car pile up on the 101. Now for the weather. Today will be a high of 103, sunny all-" a fist slammed down on the radio, silencing the speaker immediately. The owner of the hand rolled over slowly and nudged her bedmate.

"Come on honey, time to get up." Although she was only half awake, she continued to poke and push the shoulder of the man snoring next to her. After a few minutes of this, she finally gave up being nice and shoved her boyfriend off the bed.

He laid there in all his glory before mumbling "Troublesome woman, getting up at the ass-crack of dawn, hmph." Amidst all his complaining, Ino was already in the bathroom getting ready. She had pulled her stuff out of the suitcase that she kept at Shikamaru's house now. What started off as a one time thing was now almost common. She had been having problems with her mother and her mother's "clients" and chose to stay away from her house as much as possible. Shikamaru preferred to not ask questions and Ino chose not to talk about it.

"You wanna be late on the first day of school _again_?" Ino called through the bathroom over the running water.

"It doesn't take me that long to get ready, and unless you take forever in the shower, and don't give me enough time for my own, I don't plan to be late." Shikamaru went into the bathroom and gave Ino a kiss good morning.

"Well, if you're worried about me taking a long time in the shower, why don't we save time by turning two showers into one." Ino gave a seductive smile, and Shikamaru blushed.

"Now we're definitely gonna be late, what a drag." Ino gave a giggle as she pulled him under the hot water.

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke, lemme see your schedule!" Naruto ran up excitedly to his stoic friend waving a piece of paper in front of him. 

"Hn" Sasuke handed his schedule over to his energetic friend and took another sip of his coffee. He wasn't a morning person, and Naruto bouncing around wasn't making it any better.

"Alright we have English and Government with Sakura and Neji!" Naruto handed the piece of paper back to Sasuke, who grunted a thank you.

"This is pretty sweet, only 4 classes this year, and one of them is band." Sakura was glowing with happiness. She was going to take an Anatomy & Physiology class this year even though it wasn't required, and Naruto was very confused about it.

"Why would you do that, it's just more work?" he crossed his arms and squinted his eyes as he thought. He was taking the bare minimum, English, Government/Econ (required classes for seniors), and an art class. He was done before lunch.

"It looks good to the colleges, dobe." Sasuke stared at his friend, who glared back at being called a name. Sasuke was also taking Anatomy & physiology with Sakura, but in addition, he was taking a calculus class. If he wanted to out do his brother, he would need to take a heavier course load than Itachi did. He unconsciously clenched his fist when he thought about his brother and everything that he did.

"Yeah, no kidding." Sakura bonked Naruto on the top of the head. "Where's Shikamaru and Ino?"

"Hn" _It's Shikamaru, what do you think?_

"Damn, you'd think he would have learned by now." She shook her head in disappointment, but looked up at Naruto's exclamation.

"Hey look, it's Gaara and- Kankuro?" Naruto scratched his head in confusion at the sight of Gaara's elder brother.

"What, I like it!" Kankuro scratched the back of his head.

"He decided to wear that crap over the summer." Gaara pointed to the makeup that his brother was wearing and sighed.

"You're one to talk goth-boy."

Gaara glared at Kankuro and growled deeply, "You want me to hit you over the head with my skateboard again?" He held up the board that he had in his hand. He didn't use it for tricks or anything, just transportation because his and Kankuro's schedule conflicted and he didn't want to wait around for him later than he had to. Kankuro cringed and laughed uncomfortably. "So, uh, how was your guys' summer? Haven't seen ya in a while."

Everyone just kind of shrugged. Kankuro, Gaara, and their older sister Temari were the children of a diplomat from the neighboring country. They had moved away from their father when problems began to arise and worsen between him and Gaara. Temari was a sophomore at Konoha University with Sasuke's brother, Itachi. Kankuro should have been a freshman, but do to the problems with their father, he had missed too much school and was held back a year.

"That's cool I guess. Oh, Temari says hi." He turned and looked at Hinata, "So, a little birdie told me that you're gonna be in drama this year." He winked and Hinata giggled.

"Yeah, I thought it would be fun, and something a little different."

"That's great! Tayuya's pretty excited about it as well." Kankuro fiddled with the headphones around his neck, and the others raised an eyebrow.

"Tayuya's joinin' drama? She doesn't really seem the drama type." Sakura asked.

Neji huffed. "Sakura, everyone is the drama type when the time comes." Neji was also in drama, but he had been in it with Kankuro throughout high school. He was quite talented and often starred in the performances. It was also his convincing that helped Hinata decide to join. He thought it would be a good way to make friends outside of band.

"Huh?" Sakura, Naruto, and even Sasuke looked up with a raised eyebrow at Neji's cryptic remark.

Before he got a chance to explain, however, the bell rang and the student body began to migrate to their first class of the year.

* * *

First Period: English 

When they entered the Liberal Arts building, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, and Kankuro went up the crowded stairs to their English class. While Gaara, Lee, and Hinata continued down the hall to their government class.

When Kankuro and the others entered the classroom, the first thing they noticed was the many projects, pictures, and other objects on the walls. It made the room very busy and annoyed Sasuke quite a bit. The second thing they noticed was that the man they assumed to be their teacher was acting very cheery.

"Good morning! Sit anywhere you like, this class is pretty small." The man had a scar on his nose and a messy ponytail that reminded the group of Shikamaru. Everyone sat down in the back corner. Not to stay away or hide, but because that was where the wall was that you could lean against, and therefore the most coveted seats. "So, are you guys ready for the year?" the teacher was trying to make small talk.

"Depends…" Neji was the one who responded with one of his cryptic answers. The teacher scrunched his eyebrows and was about to question the long haired man if it weren't for the numerous students that began pouring into the room.

Ino scampered in a second before the tardy bell sounded looking like she had ran to school straight from home. She made her way to the back and sat next to Sakura.

Sakura looked over at her flushed friend and gave her a sly smile, "Busy morning?"

If Ino's face wasn't already red from running to make it to class, the blush would have overwhelmed her face. "Uh, you could say that, heh."

Sakura rolled her eyes and went to make a comment before the teacher began to talk.

"Good morning, class. My name is Iruka Umino, you may call me Mr. Umino if you wish, but Iruka is preferred. Of course Professor Umino is ok to if you wanna suck up." He gave a smile at his weak joke, but the class was silent. "Not a very energetic group are we." Iruka smiled weakly and scratched the back of his head.

A few voices with no identity arose from the class, "It's first hour.", "It's Monday,", "And it's the first freakin' day of school." Kankuro threw in his two cents at the end.

Iruka laughed in understanding and reached over to his desk to grab a stack of papers. "Now, I figure most of you are familiar with each other, so I won't do any lame "give your name and one hobby or interesting fact about you" sort of thing if that's ok, I would prefer to get started as soon as possible if that is alright with you all." No one protested, so Iruka began handing out the papers.

"This is your syllabus for the year-"

"Damn, this thing is a novel!" Naruto interrupted loudly as he flipped through the several page long syllabus.

"Well, actually, there are two syllabi there. One is for my class; the other is for Konoha Community College." Iruka picked up on the confused vibe of the class and quickly continued. "This class may be taken for dual credit with KCC for a small fee. Even if you do not decide to take it for college credit, you will still be required to do the same work. In my class you will do assignments to satisfy the college, district, and my own standards. I will tell you now, it will not be easy, and slackers and procrastinators will have great trouble." Several groans sounded, including ones from Naruto, Kankuro, and Ino. "Do not worry, though. I will be here before and after school and during lunch to help you if you need it. Don't be afraid to come and ask for help on a paper if you need it. Let us continue with the syllabus."

Iruka went through the entire syllabus, both of them. Several of the items would make sure that certain people would indeed have trouble with the class, including what Iruka did at the end of the class. "For homework tonight I want you to write a 2-3 page paper on the differences in actual or perceived gender roles and the impact they have on society. This is by no means a formal paper; I just want to get familiar with your writing. Though I am curious about your opinion on this subject, no research is necessary. We will discuss it further tomorrow. Minor assignment, but not doing it will impact your grade tremendously. See you tomorrow." He finished as the bell rang and the students began to shuffle out of the room.

* * *

Third Period: Band 

A small group of students walked into the busy room. They grabbed some chairs and stands from the corner and set them up in the designated sections. Hinata and Neji sat down right then and began to put their instruments together. Hinata played the flute and sat second chair, next to Tayuya. Tayuya was a loud mouth red-head, and one of the best flutists in the state. Neji, and a few others always told Hinata to challenge Tayuya for the spot, but Hinata was happy being second.

The others were on the other side of the room at the lockers pulling out their various instruments. Sasuke and Lee played the trombone, and were always competing. Well, Lee was competing while Sasuke stayed comfortably in first. Sakura played the trumpet and was neither good nor bad when it came to playing, but was amazing when it came to writing solos and transposing music and was very good at keeping a beat. Ino played the tenor sax. She used to play trumpet with Sakura, wanted to rest her lips during the day so she could play better at night for practices, so decide to learn sax for concert band, but stuck with trumpet for marching and jazz. Ino sat next to a cute girl named Tenten who played the tenor sax as well. She was really quite talented, and could actually play just about any instrument, and did. Although she played tenor in the concert band, she played trumpet with Sakura in Jazz band and marched the tenors (drum version). She also played several other instruments on the side and could easily make state with any of them. The director, Jiraiya, was always pushing her to audition, but she took the Shikamaru approach, and said it would be too much work.

The group continued to warm up as the stragglers walked in. After a few more minutes, the whole room was set up, save for a few missing seats scattered about. Jiraiya stood up on the podium, and began bellowing in his deep voice.

"Alright, welcome to the new year. I'm supposed to hand out these information packets to you all for the school. With it I will be giving you your music for today." He passed out the packets first and then began to hand out the music by section.

After all was said and done, Jiraiya started to talk again. "Oh yeah, before I forget again, the trip to Suna this year is on. It will be for 3 days in mid October. I'm not sure of the cost exactly, but it will be around 300." Several of the students gasped a little at the price. "I know, it's expensive, but as always, we will have several fund raisers to help everyone get the money."

"Fund raisers, what a drag." Shikamaru slumped as low in his chair as he was able to.

"Excuse me, Mr. Nara. You of all people should not be complaining. I do believe that sousaphone you march is brand new, hm?" Jiraiya looked sternly at Shikamaru, and he promptly shut his mouth. "Anyhoo, we'll continue talking about this tonight at practice when everyone is here. Let's start this piece shall we?" He raised his hands and everyone went into playing position. Everyone was very focused on the new piece, even though it was not that difficult, that is, everyone except a certain platinum blonde.

_Fuck, how am I supposed to get 300 without getting caught. She might actually notice that much missing..._

* * *

Third Period: Art 

Naruto looked around the room in a daze. The teacher was late, very late. Most of the students in the class were starting to get fidgety. Some were trying to act all cool and were talking about ditching, but Naruto knew that they were too wussy to actually do it, otherwise they would have already. _Pbft, freshman._

He glanced over to the kid next to him. A slightly pudgy kid eating a bag of potato chips, and didn't really seem to care about the teacher missing nearly half the class already. The kid looked over and saw Naruto staring at him. He made a guess as to what the kid was thinking and responded accordingly, "Kakashi is late almost every day. Normally we would start working on our own, but since it's the first day, we can use it as an excuse to just chill." He finished the bag of chips and tossed the crumpled up bag into the near by trashcan.

"You've been in his class before?" Naruto asked, slightly shocked as to how the kid knew what he was thinking.

"Yeah, last year. His drawing class. I think he sticks in the art department cause it's easier to get away with being late. Lack of a required curriculum and all."

"Interesting. Oh, my name's Naruto." He stuck out his hand and the kid looked at it for a second before he took it with his own.

"Chouji, nice to meet ya." He smiled wide before releasing his grip and pulling out another bag of potato chips. He offered some to Naruto who gladly took a few and thanked him. He was about to continue talking to Chouji before he saw a familiar figure outside the door walking slowly.

"Hey, what will Kakashi do if I leave?" Naruto asked, not really caring what the answer was.

"Probably nothing bad. He does seem to favor seniors. Or, rather, not care what they do because he won't have to worry about seeing them again next year." Chouji, being a junior, was slightly jealous of this.

"Well, alright then, nothing to worry about, see ya." Naruto gave a half hearted wave and picked up his back and walked out the door. As the door closed he heard excited whispers from the other students that he had recognized as freshman "hey, did you see that, he just walked out of the room!" "He's so cool!" Naruto smiled in pride and continued down the hall a bit further before he ran into a man with gray hair, a scar over his left eye, and...a mask?

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" The man asked with a bored drawl.

Naruto figured it was Kakashi from the drawl, and the fact that he was probably the only teacher that would be heading down this hallway right now. He smirked, "Aren't you?"

Kakashi's eyes widened and Naruto could see a small smile develop under his mask. "Let me see your ID kid." Naruto unclipped the card from his belt (they have to wear them visible just like I did, ha!) and handed it over as asked. "Naruto Uzumaki, huh? It appears that my class is your last one of the day. So I'm going to assume that you will be heading to work early, right?" Kakashi winked, and Naruto smiled.

"Yes sir!"

Kakashi handed the ID back to Naruto, "I do expect to see you in class tomorrow, understand."

Naruto clipped his ID back on and looked back to Kakashi, "Yes sir!". He continued walking to the door in the direction of his friend and heard a chuckle from his teacher as he reached the door to the outside.

When he exited the building he looked around. Leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette he saw the person he had been chasing.

"Hey Gaara!" Said man looked up and gave what could be called a smile from him. Naruto walked over and pulled out his own cigarette and lit it up. "Um, can I ask you somethin'?" Gaara looked over at Naruto and stared into his eyes. _Yes_. "Is there any other reason for Kankuro's makeup?" Gaara knew what Naruto was referring to, but didn't want to delve to deeply into the problem.

"Yes" He took a long final drag of his cigarette and stamped it out, signifying discussion over. Naruto understood what Gaara meant and didn't push anything, he knew better. He saw Gaara reach for his board and walk out of the gravel.

"Hey, man, I can give you a ride." Gaara shook his head and got on his board and left the campus.

Naruto sighed and walked across the parking lot to his car. He looked in his review mirror and saw Gaara cross the street and almost get hit by a car. He jumped when he heard it honk and his heart began to race. Memories flooded his mind. The screeching of the breaks, the horrible pitch of metal scraping against metal, the nauseating feeling in the pit of the stomach when your world begins to spin around out of control and the screams of the doomed people trapped in the metal tombs. He started to feel dizzy and turned on the car so he could feel the air conditioner on his face. He took a drag of his smoke and tried to calm himself down. He looked in his mirror again just in time to see Gaara flip off the driver and continue on his way.

"Fuck, not again." Naruto grabbed the side of his head and took several deep breaths before he drew up to courage to pull out of the parking lot, heart racing and hands shaking. He turned up the heavy metal music as loud as his ears could handle to try to drown out his thoughts. When he passed by Gaara, he didn't even look, much to Gaara's surprise.

Gaara turned a corner, separating from Naruto and gave another few pushes on his skateboard. He couldn't remember why he declined Naruto's offer for a ride, it was fucking hot outside, and he, in all his intelligence, wears all black. He wasn't even wearing shorts, what a grand idea. Normally he would turn down a ride because he could use this precious time that he was alone to think about his life, family, or other things. The breeze that worked its way through his short hair often induced a dream like state for him, allowed his mind to calm, and the voices that were ever present would sometimes be silenced at that time, as if they were enjoying the feeling as well.

A car screeched by and another honked, snapping him out of his state. Sighing, he turned up his music a little and decided to pull into a gas station for a Gatorade or something.

When he walked into the store, he immediately noticed the familiar strange glance that always covers the faces of those inside. He did look weird he supposed with no eyebrows, super dark eyeliner, baggy pants with chains, fishnet shirt, not to mention the scar on his forehead that was supposed to mean love. He unconsciously rubbed said scar and went to the refrigerated section in the back. He wondered what made people care so much about his appearance, and outwardly display it. The stares were even worse when he wore his trench coat in the winter, although he supposed he did look like a serial killer.

He slid open the fridge door and embraced the cold air that hit his face. He selected a red beverage, flavor didn't matter, red was always good, that was his philosophy. So was blue, come to think of it, but he didn't feel like having his mouth or any part of it change color. He walked up to the counter dragging his board along the ground. If he was taller, it wouldn't even reach the ground, but alas, it did.

Gaara placed his beverage on the counter and stared directly into the cashier's eyes, challenging her to say anything. She rang up the drink and Gaara slid his card through the machine. Instead of saying the traditional, "Thank you, come again," when he left, she was silent, and Gaara was pleased.

In the parking lot, he dropped his board to the ground and placed his foot on it. Before he got going, he opened up his drink and took a long swig, letting the cool liquid roll down his throat. He closed his drink and pushed off in the direction of his home.

* * *

The blonde sat under a tree reading a book enjoying the serene sounds of the usually crowded campus. School didn't start for another week, so it was fairly barren, save for those who lived on campus and were walking around. She looked up as another small breeze came her way, letting it hit her face. It wasn't terribly hot out, do to the higher elevation and the shade from the tree, but it was enough to make her desire a dip in a pool. 

She flipped the page in her book when the breeze subsided and continued reading, moving her lips slightly with the words. She didn't notice when another figure walked up to her and tried to see what book she was reading. With a start, she saw the figure and jumped a bit. The person in front of her jumped a bit.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just wanted to see what you were reading. Name's Haku and I am a boy." The long haired, very feminine looking and sounding guy in front of her and scratched the back of her head and blushed a bit, she was thinking he was a she.

"Heh, I'm Temari, nice to meet you. I know you probably get this a lot, but you would make a very pretty girl." Haku smiled at this.

"Not really, most people are just too weirded out by my appearance to say anything for a while. Do you mind if I sit with you, I was on my way to meet my boyfriend, but he just called and said he was runnin' a bit late." Temari didn't say anything about Haku's sexuality, she didn't really care. She had already guessed by his appearance and her gay-dar. She nodded and Haku sat down carefully next to her. "That is a good book, I read it the summer after I graduated, and it still affects me." He gave another delicate smile.

"Oh, I read it my senior year, and I felt I needed to read it again. It's just one of those novels that hits you right where you need it." Temari memorized her page and closed the book. She ran her fingers along the battered edges like she had so many times before.

"I've always felt I could relate myself to Sally. The turmoil in her heart, her family turning against her, her need to be accepted for who she is, it seemed that if I put myself in the book instead of her, the story would not have changed a bit." Haku seemed like he was talking to himself as he said this, but Temari hung onto every word.

"I have always had a special spot for Mary-Lou. She's tough, but sensitive at the same time. She is able to face her problems head on, but accept help when she needs it, and her relationship with her brother, even though everybody hates him, is just something that pulls my heartstrings." A small smile grazed Temari's lips as she thought of her brother.

"Ah, you have a brother?" Haku seemed genuinely interested.

"Yes, two actually. Their seniors right now at Konoha High School."

"Ooo, what are they like. I've always wanted a sibling, but my mother died before she could have any more." At the thought of his mother, Haku countenance saddened for a moment, but turned cheery just as quickly. Temari recognized the face immediately, it was exactly the same as hers and Kankuro's whenever their mother was mentioned.

"Well, Kankuro is kinda a doofus. He likes puppets, can even make them, and he's pretty good at it actually." Haku was hanging on to her every word. "He plays drums pretty well, and sometime he and we jam, all three of us. My other brother, Gaara, plays the bass, I play the guitar. Gaara is a little darker than Kankuro, dark clothes, dark makeup, doesn't talk much, hardly ever laughs or cracks a joke, but he is a pretty nice guy if he lets you get to know him." When Temari finished, she looked over to Haku who was wearing a smile from ear to ear and looked like he was about to dance.

"Wow, that's amazing. Are they coming to the University next year?" Haku was very excited and starting to turn red.

Temari shook her head. "I don't know. I think Kankuro is gonna go to KCC, and I don't know what Gaara is gonna do, he's kinda a mystery. The come to visit every once in a while, I could introduce you the next time they come if you would like, do you live here?"

Haku nodded vigorously, "That would be wonderful, I could introduce them to Zabuza as well. He probably won't like it, but that's okay. I live in Evan's Hall, 2nd floor."

Temari's eyes widened, "Really, I live in that hall as well, 4th floor. How come I've never seen you?"

Haku blushed a bit, "Well, I spend a lot of time in Zabuza's hall." Temari giggled. Haku jumped as his phone rang and he reached in his…bag?...purse? and answered it. "Hello? Yes. Under the tree outside of the Student Union by the statue. Really? Where?" Haku turned around and blushed, "I see you, come here, I wanna introduce you to someone. Bye." Haku slapped his phone shut and stood up. "Zabuza's here, come on!" Haku excitedly pulled Temari up by her hand and over to a gargantuan man about 15 meters away.

"Zabi, honey, this is Temari. Temari this is Zabuza, my Zabi." Temari stifled a giggle when she saw Zabuza's eye twitch at his apparent nick name. She held out her hand and Zabuza engulfed it with his gigantic one.

"Nice to meet you."

"Hi." Temari almost jumped at his deep, scratchy voice that came out almost like a grunt.

Temari wasn't sure what else to say, but fortunately Zabuza helped with it. He looked at the book Temari was carrying and then looked at Haku. "Hey, didn't you read that a few years ago?"

"Yeah, we were talkin' about it."

"Well, I'm glad you found someone you could talk books with, not exactly my forte. Engineering major."

"That's cool. Yeah, I'd love to talk about books with Haku anytime." Temari smiled and Haku looked almost giddy.

"Oh that would be fabulous. I would be happy to." Haku gave another wide smile and Zabuza grunted. Haku looked up at him, and Zabuza pointed to his watch. "Oh, right. Well, we shall make our leave Temari, it was great to meet you. Here's my cell number, call whenever your brothers come over. I'll hang out in my dorm a bit more often so we can chill together."

"Oh, thank you, here is my number. I'm in there a lot, so call whenever pretty much. And I'll do that. Good bye Haku, Zabuza." The two men waved and turned and left, Haku talking excitedly and hanging onto Zabuza's arm.

"What an odd couple, cute though." Temari laughed and went to the Student Union to get something to eat.

* * *

Fourth Period: Anatomy & Physiology 

Sakura was staring at Sasuke in awe, completely ignoring the teacher. He was weird anyway, Orochimaru, almost snake like, and kind of perverted. He was just explaining the syllabus like all her other teachers she's had today.

_I wonder what's wrong with him. He seems more depressed and emo than normal. I wonder if it has something to do with his eighteenth birthday coming up. Isn't that when he and his brother take over the family company? I don't understand it, he won't even be out of high school and he has to run a powerful, influential company with his brother of all people? That would make sense, it would bring me down._

Her thoughts were cut off by gasps from several of the students around the room. She looked up to see the teacher dissecting a cat right in front of them. The gasps weren't out of disgust or anything, but merely interest, and disappointment. Several of the students wished to be up there working on the cat, Sakura was one of them and she was sure Sasuke was as well, even though he wasn't showing it.

"Alright, I will give 5 points extra credit for each question to anyone who can answer them." Orochimaru was working at surprising speed on the cat and had started to pull out various organs. He held one up.

A kid next to Sakura raised his hand first and was called on, "Kidney."

"Very good, write your name up on the board please." He held up another organ.

This time a girl in front and to the right of Sasuke raised her hand, "Um, gall bladder?"

"Is that a question or an answer?" Orochimaru asked sternly.

The girl jumped and answered again, a little louder, "Gall bladder."

"Much better, but no, the gall bladder is green." The girl hung her head in shame and Orochimaru continued to pull out organs and ask questions. Sakura didn't bother answering any questions because she didn't really need the extra credit. She figured the same for Sasuke who was just sitting there, watching Orochimaru intently.

After a few minutes, Orochimaru held up the cat and pointed to a large artery. No one raised their hand. "No one?" Everyone shook their heads, and some kids tried to look like they were thinking, but no one had any idea, not even Sakura.

Sasuke looked around the room and rolled his eyes. He sighed and raised his hand. Orochimaru looked at him with the spliced goldenrod eyes and gave a sadistic smile.

"Uchiha right? You look much like your brother, Itachi." Sasuke visibly flinched at the use of his brothers name in such a sly, sick manor. "Yes, he was a top student of mine when he was here. So, you think you know the answer, hm?"

"Femoral Artery." Sasuke answered plainly and monotone, but Sakura could hear the bitterness in his voice and she flinched slightly.

"Ah, very good. Perhaps it's in your Uchiha _blood_." Sakura didn't like the way he said blood, and Sasuke didn't like the way he said Uchiha.

"Hn" _Don't ever say that name in front of me again, or I will make sure no one finds your body._

Sakura felt like glaring at the teacher, but was too frightened, so she kept her eyes on her desk. _I have a feeling this class is going to be difficult_.

* * *

Fourth Period: Gym 

"All right, here's the deal maggots!" The students were taken aback by the lady in front of them screaming at them and calling them maggots, and some glared, Ino was one of them.

"My name is Coach Anko, you will call me Coach, Coach Anko, or Ma'am, call me Anko and its 2 laps! You will report here every day 5 minutes after the bell rings dressed out and ready to go, no later, or you will be sent to sweep and lose your participation points for the week!" _The whole week, that's pretty lame,_ Ino thought, and she glared again. "You will be required to have appropriate attire for using the gym and working out. That means gym shorts or sweat pants, no jeans or slacks, a t-shirt, no spaghetti straps please, and proper running shoes. I'm assuming that you all know what proper running shoes would be. You must also bring in a lock for your locker tomorrow. You may not share lockers after Wednesday. You will not be required to shower after class because I don't care what you smell like since I don't have to see you anymore, but you may use them if you wish. Hey, blondie, are you chewing gum."

Ino jumped from being caught, and being called blondie. "Um, yeah."

Anko smirked, "Get down here, I wanna show everyone what I do with gum chewers." Ino paled a bit, but otherwise kept a straight face as she climbed down the bleachers. She was physically fit, so Anko couldn't do anything too bad. When Ino arrived in front of Anko, Anko turned to her and looked at her square in the eye, and Ino resisted the urge to roll hers. "Normally I would have you run a few laps while carrying something heavy, but seeing as my heavy object isn't here right now, I want you to give me 30 pushups. Get into position." Ino was slightly confused, sure she was a chick she was sure Anko thought 30 would be a challenge, but she could do 30 pushups just fine. She got down into the pushup position and was about to start when she felt a weight on her back. "I'll just use my foot instead, hah!"

Ino groaned and began her pushups. By the time she got to 15, her arms were burning, but she wouldn't give Anko the satisfaction of her failure.

"Come on Ino, you can do it with the power of youth!" Lee shouted from the front of bleachers and Ino rolled her eyes at him and continued her pushups.

"Kid, you callin' me old! Get down here and join her, I want 75 from you since I'm out of feet to use."

Lee was almost overjoyed as he jumped up in front of Anko, "Yes ma'am!" He dropped down and began to do pushups very quickly counting out loud. When he got to 20, Ino had finished hers and collapsed to the ground and Anko removed her foot and went to Lee and did the same thing. Amazingly, Lee did not falter in his pack, so Anko put more pressure on his back. He still did not falter and remained focused on his task. Anko was stunned and sat on his back. This caused him to slow down a bit, but he continued to go strong.

After he had finished, he stood up at attention next to Ino in front of Anko who was still stunned, but not showing it. Lee looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat and the whole class except for Ino, Neji, and Kankuro was just as shocked. "Well, get back to your seats, what the hell are you standin' around for!" Anko yelled and the two jumped and moved back to their seats quickly.

Anko was about to start yelling again but the bell rang and cut her off and the class happily and speedily exited the gym. Anko was still fuming from her embarrassment.

* * *

"Yeah, and but she put her foot on my back!" Ino was raging at Sakura about the incident in gym during the break. Her arms were sore, and now she had to hold her arms up for another 2 hours. "Dammit Jiraiya for only marching brass!" she cursed the directors decision to no longer march woodwind instruments because, quite simply, they sucked in a marching band. 

"Alright break's over, return to set 12 and run it again." The band moved back to the decided set and the drum major, Sakura, counted off. A few measures into it, however, some stupid freshman screwed up and marched backwards too far and too fast and the back of his head connected with the bell of Ino's trumpet and smashed her lips against the mouth piece (I hope someone out there knows how much that hurts). The force caused her to stagger and the formation was quickly messed up due to the beat of the song.

Sakura quickly stopped the song before any more trouble caused and looked over to see Ino with a bloody mouth being held back by Tenten and Shikamaru from killing a freshman who was also being berated by the section leader and a few others around him for screwing up. Sakura jumped down and brought some water and paper towels to Ino. After a minute Jiraiya commanded the group to get back into position and start again.

_Damn, this is not my day_, thought Ino as she brought her horn back up to her still throbbing lips.

* * *

AN: Woo, longer chapter. Yeah, I know that bit at the end with the marching band is kinda lame, and marching band will probably not play a ginormous role in the story, just something to kinda carry the story along and bring more characters together. I also made Chouji younger because I never really intended him to play a significant part, that's for the seniors. Hope you liked the part with Temari, Zabuza, and Haku, that will get more complex later. Don't you all think Gaara would be a hot-ass bass player. I do, that's why I made him one. Till next time. 


	3. The Windows to the Soul

**Disclaimer: **-Insert random fact here- and I don't own Naruto

Chapter 3: The Window to the Soul

It was Tuesday morning and Neji was sitting at the kitchen counter waiting for Hinata to finish getting ready before they left for school. He really should have been finishing his English assignment, but he had other things on his mind. Besides, he could finish his paper in the few minutes before class started. It was no problem.

His mind ran through the many events of the past few weeks, so much had happened and he wasn't sure he could handle it. The problems with his uncle were ever present, but worsening just the same. How he wished his uncle could just see him for who he is, and not for whom his father was. Although, now, Neji didn't think that no matter what happened, his uncle would ever accept him. The Hyuuga family was too traditional.

The other thoughts had been plaguing him for a while now. Yesterday, however, they were only intensified. Sure, it would all be easier if he could just push it all away and do what his 'family' expected him to do, but what would that do? Make him more miserable and not solve anything. He thought about telling Hinata, he was sure she would not care either way, nor would she tell her father unless she felt she had good reason to.

Tenten didn't make it any easier. He knew of her feelings for him, and felt sorry that he could not return them. He was trying to send them to someone else, someone who would probably turn him down in a friendly but hurtful manor. He often thought about telling her soon, before he did anything that he might regret. He liked Tenten, but as a friend and nothing more. He had a feeling that Tenten knew somewhat, but was denying it. Perhaps she was just waiting for him to tell her, but he didn't know.

He fiddled with the strap of his backpack while his head wondered back to the object of his affections. The person who was so nice and energetic, accepting, and thoughtful. The one who would often compete against him in their younger years, but had now matured far enough to abandon some of his youthful endeavors. Probably the closest person Neji would ever have to a best friend. The person referred to as the Green Beast of Konoha, and would save a squirrel from a grenade if he had to.

Neji closed his eyes and dropped his hands, "Lee…" The name escaped his mouth before he could stop it, and he opened his eyes in shock at it. He was snapped out of his thoughts for a moment and his mind was literally empty for a time. A sound from the second floor finally awoke him and got his mind started up again. He looked to the stairs and saw his cousin trotting down them groggily.

"Good morning, Neji." She smiled when she saw him and he returned it as best he could. She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and looked into his pale eyes. She could see he was troubled about something, but did not ask, she knew he would tell her if he wanted to. She sent him the silent message with her own lavender eyes, and he unconsciously nodded. Hinata smiled again and Neji picked up his keys and headed to the door, Hinata following close behind. It wasn't long before the man's thoughts returned to their earlier location.

Gaara was snapped out of his daze as he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He sighed and reached for it. He thought about being sneaky about it, for fear of the teacher confiscating it, but he decided he didn't really care, besides, the teacher was blabbing away about how youthful the subject of economics is while writing practically illegibly on the board.

Before flipping it open, he glanced at the number and instantly recognized it. He furrowed his brow and answered it, "Hn".

"Hey, when can you guys come visit?"

_Huh, why did she care all of a sudden? _"Dunno, why."

"Well, he called me." The voice of the women on the other end of the line suddenly dropped.

Gaara's heart skipped a beat and he almost gasped, "What did he want?"

"I don't know, but he told me that he wants us to go back there for something, but I don't think that's such a good idea. We need to meet up or something to talk about it."

"We were just there, and you saw what happened to Kankuro." Gaara was struggling to keep his conversation under wraps, fortunately the only people who could hear him were, Shikamaru who didn't care, Hinata who knew better, and some loser kid sitting in front of him that Gaara would kill if he kept turning around to glare.

"I know, which is why I don't understand why he called, of all people. Must be pretty important, I mean, he was the one who told us to leave and helped us get out. Just tell Kankuro so we can get together and discuss this further, I need to go now. Bye." The line clicked and Gaara snapped his phone shut and laid his head on the desk with a sigh.

_God, I need a cigarette._ When the bell rang, Gaara turned the other way and exited the building, leaving after first period. Kankuro saw him outside the door and pulled out his phone to call him. He stood there waiting for Gaara to pick up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, without even looking at the number he turned it off and got on his skateboard. He lit a cigarette before pushing off.

"Damn." Kankuro shook his head and entered the class.

Two women were in the bathroom during class talking. Not like the normal girl talk, with gossip and giggling and several 'ohmigosh'es but talking like two very close friends would talk. One of them was in front of the mirror adjusting her makeup, and the other was leaning against the cold tile wall with her arms crossed.

"So, you still staying at Shikamaru's?" Sakura looked up at her friend who was staring intently in the mirror.

"Yup." Ino did not look away from the mirror, probably out of fear of losing the one spot where she could actually see herself underneath all the tags, smudges, lipstick drawings, and other things. She thought she recognized one of the tags, but didn't say anything.

"She's gotten worse hasn't she?" Sakura never took her eyes off of the woman at the sink. Ino did not look away, but she put down her makeup and clenched one of her fists. Sakura took it as a yes.

"Why don't you do anything?"

"Because, it will only cause more problems. I'm staying with Shika, and I'll be moving out completely soon. It's not like she cares. Once I'm gone, it will be all over." Sakura opened her mouth to say something but Ino cut her off. "No thanks, Sakura. You and your 'friends' will not be needed, I can handle this on my own." With that said, Ino put her various makeup items in her bag and lifted it to her shoulder. Sakura got up off the wall and followed her friend out of the bathroom.

"So, how are things with you?" Ino asked as they walked slowly down the hall. They had picked the bathroom furthest away so they would have more time to talk. It wasn't like they never saw each other, it was just that there were things that they never really got to talk about because everyone else was always there. Things that only best friends could talk about.

"Alright." Sakura didn't give any indication of another meaning, but Ino knew better.

"You really should do something else with your life. You were smarter than that."

"Don't preach to me, I did what I did for a reason, and I stick by my decision." Ino looked down and the long scar on Sakura's arm. A constant reminder of what she did, and it always makes Ino's heart hurt. She understood what made Sakura do it, but it still hurt, and now she would probably lose her friend before they graduate. So many of her friends would probably be gone before they graduate, but losing Sakura would be the worst.

They reached the door to their class room, but before they entered, Sakura put her hand on Ino's shoulder and squeezed gently, "Don't worry about me." Ino didn't what to argue, she couldn't help but worry. But instead she put her hand atop Sakura's and smiled. Sakura removed her hand and opened the door so the two could enter.

Shikamaru sat at the board thinking deeply. He was pondering any move he could think of, and any variation of those moves, seeing if he could see a win out of any of them. He had been thinking for a while and he could tell his opponent was growing impatient, even if Neji tried to not show it. At last, Shikamaru picked up a piece and placed it strategically on the board. Neji was about to make his move, but the door opened, distracting him.

"Sakura? I didn't think I'd ever see you in here." Asuma looked up from own game and gave Sakura a welcoming wave.

"Yeah, well, it's kinda hot outside, and Neji said you were looking for members." Sakura shrugged and sat down next to Neji and pulled out her lunch.

"Alright, Shikamaru told me you were good, but didn't expect you to join the shogi team. You gonna be able to make it to any of the tournaments?" Asuma was happy about his former student joining his beloved shogi team.

"Um, I don't know. When are they?" Sakura shook her head when Neji touched a piece to move it. He saw her and thought a second before he took his hand off and went back to thinking. Asuma stood up and walked over to his desk and grabbed a sheet of paper and began highlighting several items. He walked over to Sakura and handed her the sheet. She glanced it over and frowned.

"I don't know, maybe some of them. How many do you need to compete?"

"Well, at least 5. Normally they are divided up into varsity and JV, the 5 varsity members are what we need, and the JV would be alternates should any of the varsity members not be able to attend. We will be having our own tournament starting tomorrow to determine who will be on varsity and in what order. (1)" Asuma had returned to his game and Sakura went over all the dates.

_Shit, these are almost all on Saturdays and Fridays. I can't abandon my other obligations for this. I'll probably just go to the few on the other days. I just hope Shikamaru doesn't tell Asuma why I miss so many._

"So, what do you say?" Asuma was staring at her now.

"Sure, I would love to. I'll go to as many tournaments as possible." She gave a fake smile and looked at Shikamaru giving her an all knowing look and she looked away.

"Good, I'll add you to the line up for the tournament tomorrow. If you're as good as Shikamaru says you are, then you'll be on varsity no problem." Asuma returned to his game and didn't talk much more.

Shikamaru placed one last piece on the board and Neji sighed in defeat. Sakura took his place and the board was set up. "So, what do you think about Ino living with you?" Sakura moved a piece and talked quietly.

"She can't stay with her mother anymore. It's not safe." Shikamaru mirrored her move.

"You guys gonna move in together officially soon, she says it's getting worse."

"I know, that was why she was late on Sunday."

"Hinata is very worried about her. From what she saw, she thinks it would be wise if she leaves immediately." Neji spoke quietly as he remembered how much his cousin had been affected when Hinata had seen how bad Ino's situation had become.

"I keep telling her that, and she is trying, but it's not going as quickly as I would like." Shikamaru had slowed his tempo and began to think more about his moves.

"We should probably go over there soon and get all her belongings and put them in storage until she can get a place of her own." Sakura sat back and began thinking about her future moves while she waited.

"I suggested that, but we don't have enough money for it, not yet at least. We've been saving up for an apartment; I don't know how much longer we can wait though." Shikamaru took his move and Sakura paused to think, not about her move, but Ino.

"I can take care of the storage, leave it to me. This weekend though, we should get her stuff."

"I don't know if she wants your help, especially financially. I don't think I do either, there's enough criminal happenings going on." Shikamaru looked up from the board and stared into Sakura's blazing emerald eyes.

"You may not want it, she doesn't either, but you need it. Don't worry about it. I'm doing this for her. I'll have it ready by Friday." Sakura moved her gaze from Shikamaru's, but his did not falter.

"You better be careful about this." With that said, the game, and lunch period, finished in complete silence.

Ino slammed her gym locker shut and rubbed her still sore shoulders. "Damn her."

She started to head out of the now empty locker room when a familiar voice behind her asked, "Talking about me?" Anko leaned against the door frame of her office with a smirk on her face.

Ino glared, "What do you think?" she turned around and started to walk again when a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder roughly and spun her around.

She was face to face with Anko, only a few inches between their noses. Anko had a suspicious grin on her face, "Believe me, I can make you hurt more in so many different ways." She winked and exited the locker room, leaving Ino in shock. _What the hell!_ Ino snapped out of her daze and exited the room quickly.

All through class, she didn't notice, or refused to notice, the looks Anko was giving her. Back in the locker room, Ino tried to ignore the pair of eyes burning through her back.

Gaara never went home. He just rode his board until he was out of breath and his hair was stuck to his head with sweat. The sounds of the city were lost to his thoughts, silenced by the voices screaming at him. He tried turning up his music, but the volume would no longer increase. Sighing, he pulled out a cigarette and sat down on the curb.

_What the fuck is going on now?_

'_You screwed up again'_

_No, it has to be something else, I didn't do anything this time._

'_Yeah right, you always do something. Always make a bad situation worse'_

_You're wrong, it was never my fault…there was nothing anyone could do. _

Gaara began breathing slowly, in through his nose and out his mouth. He tried to remember everything his shrink told him to do in this situation. The pills in his bag were calling to him, and that woman said it would be the right thing to do, help calm him down, and make him feel better. He pulled them out of the pocket they were in and popped the top of with his thumb, but hesitated dumping them into his palm.

_Temari says you don't need them. She says your strong enough without them, and all they do is make things worse. Temari says it'll be ok. Temari's always right._

Thinking about his big sister, even though he would never admit it to anyone, always calmed him down. She was always the strong one of the three, even though she was probably hurt the most, in the most horrible ways, and he cared deeply for her because of it. The voices in his head were quieted for a moment, and he was able to turn down his music and 'enjoy' the sounds of the city. At least they weren't yelling at him.

He pulled out his phone and turned it on. He saw the missed call memo pop up and recognized the number as Kankuro's. _He'll understand_. He dialed a long time familiar number and waited for an answer.

"Gaara?"

"Yeah."

Temari could hear the disappearing panic in his voice and knew what had happened. "How ya doin'?" She kept her voice calm.

"Okay. I didn't take them." Gaara closed his eyes to take in his sisters' voice fully.

"That's good, just keep thinking positively and you'll be alright."

"Thanks." Gaara was silent, and ignored the other sounds around him, except that one of his sister.

"So, I got a hold of Kankuro, he says that Friday afternoon should be alright." Temari seemed a bit more cheerful. "But we decided that me coming home would be better, more convenient."

Gaara's heart jumped. He always liked it when Temari came home. Well, he just didn't like going to the University, it wasn't his type of atmosphere, to many people. "Okay, see ya then."

"Goodbye Gaara." Temari waited for him to say it too, even though she knew it wasn't likely to happen.

Gaara paused for a bit, and then took in a small breath, "Bye." Temari gave a small smile and hung up her phone. Gaara kept his phone open for a bit to try to listen to the sound of her voice over that of his surroundings, but eventually, he knew it was gone. He closed his eyes and looked at his cigarette. It had burned almost all the way to the filter and an inch of ash remained, waiting to succumb to gravity and fall to a billion microscopic pieces and float away in the wind.

Temari had never Approved of them smoking, Gaara and Kankuro. She said it was a terrible habit that would keep them from ever finding a suitable girlfriend. Gaara didn't mind, he wasn't looking for anyone anyway. He thought that maybe she didn't like it because their father had smoked, but he smoked cigars, expensive stuff, cigarettes were for hicks and smelt bad. He shrugged the thought of his father out of his head, that always made things bad. He looked at his watch and decided that he should call Kankuro to let him know he wasn't dead, though he wasn't quite sure where he was, but that didn't matter. He listened to the ringing on the other end and before long a man's voice answered groggily.

"H-hello?"

Great, he was getting high, "Yeah, it's me."

"Oh, heyhey Gaara, where you at?"

Gaara decided to lie so Kankuro wouldn't get the idea to drive, he wasn't the best judge on his condition when it came to driving, and he already had two DUI's on his record, "Just a few blocks away. Felt like letting you know I'm okay." A familiar girl's giggle on the other end surprised him, "Um, what are you doing?"

"Makin' some mac & cheese with Tayuya." Gaara shook his head and felt like smiling, _Of course._

"I'll be home soon." With that, he snapped his phone shut and stood up pulling out another cigarette. He lit it and looked around, trying to decide how to get home. After failing to come up with a quick and easy route, he just turned around and went back the way he came, making sure to keep track of where he was.

"She's late again." Neji paced the auditorium stage back and forth angrily. "She's gonna get kicked out if she keeps this up!"

"Um, Neji, you didn't really expect her to actually be prompt did you? The only reason why Jiraiya hasn't kicked her out yet is because she's a talented musician. Just give her a few minutes."

"There's no point, we'll just get started now, everyone else is here." Hinata reluctantly nodded and took her place in the audience with the rest of the group.

A booming voice erupted from the stage, "Welcome one and all to our first official drama meeting! Sorry about the canceled class yesterday, I was getting in a meeting and Kakashi was late, which I'm sure all those familiar with him will understand." A few of the students in the audience nodded and rolled their eyes. "Glad to see so many new youthful faces among the familiar ones." Gai stood on the stage in a spotlight that had just appeared, and was striking his nice guy pose.

"Um, Gai is the Drama teacher too?" Hinata leaned over her armrest and whispered in Neji's ear.

"Uh, yeah, guess I forgot to tell you." Neji smiled weakly and avoided Hinata's glare. She didn't really like Gai, he traumatized her on her first day freshman year back when he taught English. He had made her stand up in front of class with Naruto when she had the huge crush on him. To show the kind of things that they would be doing that year, Gai thought it would be a wonderful idea to have her and Naruto act out the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. As expected, the two didn't get very far before Hinata passed out and Gai had to carry her to the nurse's office. Ever since then she had tried to avoid him, which was impossible this year seeing as she now had his economics class.

"It's alright Hinata, he's not gonna do anything to embarrass you." Neji tried to comfort his cousin with what he hoped was the truth. _Yeah right, you know how Gai is, and she's new this year._

Gai started speaking excitedly in his booming voice once more, "Alright, this year, our class is going to be putting on a performance of Shakespeare's Othello." Everyone, whether meaning to or not, looked at the single black guy in the entire class, probably entire school (2) who shifted in his seat and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I guess that means I get the lead role for once."

Gai scratched the back of his head and continued talking. "Well, to practice some Shakespearian speaking and acting, I have a few scripts here from Romeo and Juliet. Neji why don't you come up here since you're our veteran lead." Neji rose from his seat and walked cooly up to the stage.

Neji saw Gai scanning the audience for someone to play, he assumed, Juliet. Finally, he stopped on someone and Neji heard an all too familiar squeak, _Oh, Gai, don't do it._ Neji prayed to every single God he had ever heard of, but apparently they were all out to lunch with each other.

"Hello there, I do believe you are familiar with this play, why don't you come up here, uh…Hinata!" Gai smiled proudly, completely oblivious to the trembling girl in front of him, lost in the horrible memories of her first day of high school.

Gai handed her a script when she got on stage and was standing next to her cousin. "Go ahead with the balcony scene, that is something that should be familiar." The two flipped through the script until they found it.

Neji noticed Hinata's trembling hands and whispered "Don't worry about it, it's me this time, I'll help you." Hinata gave a small nod and thus began the scene.

Although Hinata stumbled slightly in the beginning, she quickly became comfortable with Neji there to guide her. When she finished, everyone clapped and they both bowed. Gai was clapping the loudest and walked up to the two students.

"That was excellent, wonderful display of youth (cue eye rolls)! I do believe I have found our Desdemona!" Gai clapped Hinata's back so hard she almost fell over, but she smiled at the praise. "We will still have to hold auditions, but I also think that Neji would make a wonderful Cassio, or perhaps Iago if you feel like playing on the dark side for a bit?" Neji shrugged, he didn't really care. The two returned to the seat and Gai stayed on stage.

The rest of class was pretty mellow. Gai handed out the scripts to Othello and told a few freshmen to hang up posters around the school to advertise auditions while the rest of the class acted out a few minor scenes. When class let out, Neji waited for Hinata outside the auditorium doors.

"Um, Hinata, can I talk to you?"

"Sure Neji." Hinata was a bit confused to this, but continued to walk with him to his car.

"Would you hate me, if I liked-er, if I was- um-." Neji was stumbling with his words, something that almost never happened and Hinata became concerned.

"Neji, whatever it is, I promise I won't hate you. I could never hate you, no matter what my father says."

Neji nodded and began to formulate his words. He began slowly, "Hinata, I'm…gay." _Wow, that wasn't to bad, just three words._

Hinata paused for a moment and looked at him, she could see he was waiting for her answer and preparing himself for her disapproval. Suddenly she smiled and gave him a big hug, "Oh, that's so sweet. Is that why you have such pretty hair?" She let go of her cousin and looked at him. She giggled at the confused look on his face, "What, did you honestly think I wouldn't like you because you're gay?"

"Er, well, your family isn't exactly, Liberal." Neji was now smiling at his cousin's open mindedness.

"Listen to me Neji, I am not my father, and I never will be. I don't think I could even if I wanted to. No matter what you do, I will always love you. I was there for you when you had your problems when you were younger, and I'll be here with you through this too."

"But what will your father say, or do?" Neji was worried now, his uncle had already threatened to kick him out or worse for things not nearly as bad as this.

"I don't know, but when you decide to tell him, I'll go with you if you want. Hopefully he won't over react." She gave her cousin a warm smile and another hug. This time he smile back and embraced her back. Still, neither of them couldn't help but worry about what would happen should he decide to some out to her parents. "Let's go get some ice cream to celebrate!" Hinata let go of Neji and ran to the car and hopped in.

Neji followed her rolling her eyes. "Fine, but you're buying." He started the car and pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Okay, but you have to tell me who you like first." Neji looked over at her wide eyed for a second before he looked back to the road.

"How did you know I liked someone?"

Hinata smiled, "Well, you wouldn't know you were gay, well, at least have a strong enough feeling about it to tell me unless you had someone in mind. So, who is it."

Neji nodded his head at his cousin's logic, even if it wasn't perfect. He had always preferred guys, as far as he knew, but it's true that it wasn't until he developed such strong feelings for a certain friend of his that he knew for sure. "You really wanna know?"

Hinata shook her head furiously. "Of course."

"Okay, but you have to promise not to laugh."

"Why would I laugh?"

"Well, he's, uh, not exactly every girls dream."

"So, you're a guy. Just tell me, I'm dying to know."

Neji laughed and took a deep breath, "Alright, it's Lee." Neji braced himself for her response.

Indeed, Hinata was very close to laughing, but she promised, so she sucked it up and thought about it. He was strong, nice, somewhat intelligent in certain things, would save a squirrel from a grenade, she could see why Neji liked him. In fact, the only reason why Lee wasn't beating the women off with a stick was because of his clothing choices and his hair style. She looked over at Neji with a smirk, or as much of a smirk as the Hyuuga heiress could muster, "Just promise me that you'll fix his hair and clothes."

Neji let out a small laugh, "That's only if he likes me back, I don't even think he's gay."

Hinata noticed his sad face and was sorry herself. "Don't worry about it, Lee is a nice guy and a great friend. I'm sure if you told him he would not take any offense. Knowing him he would yell something about what a wonderful display of youth or something. Besides, I've always thought he admired you, and I know for a fact he is jealous of your hair." Hinata smiled at the memory and so did Neji. Lee had practically announced it once, although no one could really remember why.

"You're right." Neji still wasn't entirely convinced though, and Hinata saw this.

"Hey, I know this is cliché and all, but the worst that could happen is that he could say no."

"I guess, I just don't know how to tell him without embarrassing either of us."

"Trust me, I don't think Lee could be embarrassed. Just do it straightforward and honest."

"I'll try. I think coming out to you was the first hurtle I needed to jump, and that turned out well." The two pulled into the parking lot of the ice cream shop and Neji turned off the car and they both got out. They entered the shop and took a second to laugh at the guy behind the counter.

"I still can't believe you actually got a job." Neji leaned on the counter still chuckling at his favorite shogi opponent. Hinata was also giggling slightly.

"Yeah, well, if me and Ino are gonna get an apartment, we need the money, and I figured this place was as good as any. Even if I gotta wear this stupid hat and troublesome apron, hmph." Shikamaru sighed and fiddled with his white and pink hat. "So, what do you guys want-what are you guys even doin' here, don't you have your own ice cream shop in that mansion of yours?" Shikamaru looked at his friends questioningly.

"We're, uh, celebrating." Hinata smiled and Neji blushed and didn't say anything.

"Celebrating what?" Shikamaru tried to still look bored, but was genuinely interested.

"Um, well, I-uh…came out." Neji avoided Shikamaru's eyes and pretended to be interested in a particular flavor of ice cream.

Shikamaru was silent for a moment as he thought of what to say, "That explains the hair." Shikamaru said plainly and Hinata started laughing. Neji glared at the two and Hinata shut her mouth and Shikamaru just continued to look bored.

"Just give us some ice cream." Neji huffed and Shikamaru mumbled before turning to Hinata.

"What do you want?"

"Um, that chocolate fudge kind right there in a cone." Shikamaru nodded and turned to Neji.

"Mint chocolate chip in a cone." Shikamaru nodded again and rang it up.

"$4.07." Hinata gave him the cash to the penny and Shikamaru through it in the register before turning to prepare their products. He handed them to the two Hyuuyas over the counter and they sat down at a table and began talking quietly while Shikamaru laid his head back down on his palm and yawned.

"So, you gonna tell Tenten?" Hinata licked her ice cream not taking her eyes off Neji.

"Yeah, I'll have to. I hope she doesn't take it bad."

"Don't worry about that, it's better for a guy to turn you down because he's gay instead of him not being attracted to you."

"Really?" Neji turned his attention away from his ice cream with a look of curiosity on his face.

"Duh, that means he doesn't like any women, not just that one." She smiled and he nodded in understanding. The two finished their frozen treat and stood up to leave.

Before they were out the door Shikamaru spoke up, "Hey, you might wanna be careful about telling Ino, knowing her she would squeal and ask to play with each others hair, and paint nails, or something." Shikamaru smirked, Neji rolled his eyes, and Hinata giggled.

"Yeah that sounds like something Ino would do." Hinata said.

"What sounds like something I would do?" The three jerked their heads to the door where Ino was standing with an eyebrow raised.

"Um, just your reaction when you found out Neji was gay." Shikamaru said calmly. Neji and Hinata both got almost identical looks on their faces, though Neji's was of horror and Hinata's was of laughter containment, must be a Hyuuga thing.

Ino paused for a moment to take it in, then her face contorted and she…squealed and ran up to Neji and gave him a big hug. "Ohmigosh, I love gay guys! No wonder your hair is so pretty. Ah, we should braid each other's hair, that would be so much fun." Hinata and Shikamaru were rolling on the floor laughing while Neji sweat dropped.

Sasuke pulled into his driveway and parked his car. He sat in it for a few minutes while he finished his cigarette and listened to the music that blasted through the speakers. He didn't think anyone was home, they never were, always working not even caring about him. He was coming home hours late and they would never know. _Heh, I should throw more parties. God knows Itachi and his friends got away with a ton._

He dropped his finished cigarette out the window and turned off his car. When he got out he stepped on his cigarette before he made his way to the front door. He failed to look around and notice that his was not the only car in the driveway.

Before he even opened the door he heard someone playing guitar in the upstairs and gasped. He threw the door open and ran upstairs without even taking off his shoes, his father would have his head for that.

The guitar playing slowly grew louder as he ran down the long hallways toward his room. He stopped shortly before to catch his breath before he threw open his door to his room, the source of the racket.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Sasuke had a glare that could turn the most dangerous dragons into geckos.

The person playing the guitar looked up but didn't stop playing.

Sasuke was angry, but was trying desperately hard to control his growing temper. "I asked you a question." His voice could freeze ice it was so cold.

The man stopped playing the guitar and set it down before getting up and approaching Sasuke. Sasuke didn't move and just stared the intruder in the eyes. The man stopped in front of Sasuke and placed his tattooed arms into his pockets before smirking. "Now, now, Sasuke, is that any way to greet you brother?"

"Hmph, what do you care?" Sasuke caught a glimpse of the shining metal in his brother's mouth, dancing around with the movement of his tongue, and it irked Sasuke to no end. _Look at him, it's despicable. The great Itachi Uchiha is nothing but an embarrassment to the name, parading around like a side show freak. I can't believe my parents actually prefer him over me._

"I don't." Itachi smirked again before sitting down on Sasuke's chair and putting his heavy spiked boots on the desk.

Sasuke growled at his older brother's behavior. "What are you doing here!" This time it came out as a yell rather than a civilized question.

Itachi merely pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed them behind his head, his sleeveless black shirt rising above his studded belt revealing parts of additional tattoos on his abdomen. "I had business here."

"What do you mean _business_?" Sasuke made the last word as spiteful as he could, and it tore through the already uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Just a simple…transaction with an old client." Itachi was appearing to be purposely trying to anger his younger brother further, but he was indeed choosing his words very carefully. His brother was smart, and Itachi knew better than to try to be too cocky around him lest he grow some balls and turn him in.

"What kind of transaction?" Sasuke feigned indifference.

Itachi knew better, _Foolish little brother, you'll have to do better than that. _"Business transaction, that's all." Itachi got up from his seat and smirked at his little brother again. He put his hands in his pockets again and pushed past Sasuke and exited the room, the chains on his torn pants jingling away in Sasuke's ears.

"I'll be staying the night here. Don't bother trying anything, little brother." Itachi continued down the hallway and entered his old room, slamming the door behind him. Before long, death metal music could be heard blaring throughout the house.

Sasuke slammed his door and punched his wall. "FUCK!"

1) Ok, I don't even know if shogi teams are real, but I'm assuming that they are. I also have no idea how they would be ran, so I based if off of Chess Team…which I was on.

2) Yeah, there are no black people in the entire series, at least that I've seen. The closest I think would be Kidoumaru (sp?), and I don't really feel like putting him in, so I'll have to make one up. Talk about a racist show.

YAY! Itachi's here, he'll become more important as time goes on. I think I decided on the partner for Gaara, I suppose it's pretty obvious. I'm gonna get them together a bit differently though. I wanted to make Hinata a little braver in this fic because I'm tired of the wussy one, though I couldn't help but throw in a good ol' fainting-in-front-of-Naruto-because-she-has-a-huge-crush-on-him moment, classic. There will be moments of younger Hinata breaking through though.


	4. Melody of the Moon

**Disclaimer:** The squirrels are plotting…and I don't own Naruto.

NOTE: PLEASE READ MY NEW SET OF STORIES, THE ICHA ICHA PARADISE COLLECTION, IT IS WHAT IT SOUNDS!

Chapter 4: Melody of the Moon

Thursday morning band practice and the various students were lost in their different thoughts as the marched on the dew soaked field like zombies, the sweat already pouring down their faces.

A drum major in the front on her podium was mentally calculating how much cash she had and how much she needed to get the storage space to help Ino. The favors she had to call in were sure to put her in a deeper rut than she was already in, but it was for the best. These were the people that helped her when she needed it before, and she knew that she would have to pay her debt soon. Sure, she had done a lot already, her record was as spotted as a Dalmatian, but it was all she could do. Ino and Shikamaru would not take the money if they knew where it came from, but they needed it. She knew what she had to do to get the money and just hoped that none of her friends asked too many questions, especially Sasuke.

A long haired bass drummer on the opposite side of the field was trying to polish the conversation he would have with his crush when he revealed his true feelings. Neji's eyes kept drifting to Lee, and if he wasn't already so familiar with the music and the sets he would have surely messed up. He had told Tenten the previous day and she was very supportive. He was sorry he had to hurt her like that but she said that there was nothing he could really do about it. It had been a soft let down, and she wasn't destroyed over it. Neji felt that if Lee didn't return his feelings, his heart would be broken in to pieces so small they could be thread through the eye of a needle…total devastation.

On the eastern side stood a man with a dark look in his eyes. His hands were tensed around his instrument so tightly he felt the heat from his anger and strength from his grip would melt the metal. The dark bags under his eyes were a dead giveaway to his lack of sleep the previous few nights, ever since his older brother had shown up and left just as before. Sasuke couldn't help but be infuriated at his brother's attitude toward the family. Sure, he was no one to talk, but he understood what pride was, and knew he was expected to present himself as an Uchiha at all times. Not like the bastard Itachi was, he had gone and lost all honor for the great family of Konoha, and he was worse than trash. What's worse, in less than two months, he would have to partner with Itachi in control of the family company, the family that Itachi had betrayed.

_Temari's coming over tonight, everything will be alright._ In the back, not to far from Neji, Gaara was repeating the same mantra in his head over and over again. Since he heard of the phone call the Temari had gotten, he had become more and more unstable. Kankuro insisted he take the pills, but he refused, Temari would be so upset. The dark bags around his eyes had grown steadily worse as well. Normally during school he slept better, school was a distraction, and a good one at that. Perhaps that was why he did well, but that phone call was too disturbing. He hadn't been at school for a full day yet. Why did he have to call, he's making things worse! _Just like you always do_. NO! Not now, leave me alone! He reached up and grabbed his head. Before he screamed a familiar thought peered through, like the flicker of light in a dark cave: _Temari's coming over tonight, everything will be alright_.

In the center of the field, a woman with long blonde hair was rubbing her lips, her eyes out of focus. _What the hell is the matter with that woman!_ Ino had never thought that teachers were ever actually out to get a student, but her gym teacher, Anko, was certainly proving her wrong. During class, Anko made sure to keep an eye on her. Every time she did anything even remotely incorrect it was laps or pushups and Anko would stand there and watch her with a smirk of victory upon her countenance, and Ino was sick of it. If she didn't need the damn class to graduate she would have dropped it. If it was a year long class, she was sure she would have killed herself or Anko. There were also the suggestive messages that Anko said to her, and it wasn't that it made Ino uncomfortable, it just confused her. She wasn't sure why Anko would do these things, and of course, she had to pick a locker right close to the office.

* * *

Iruka stood at the front of the class and held up a stack of papers. "Here is the paperwork for those of you who want to do the duel enrollment. I recommend all of you fill it out whether or not you want to actually take the class for credit. You do not need to pay now, you'll have until September 3rd to pay, so a little longer than two weeks. The cost will be 125 dollars and will be paid at the book store." Iruka proceeded to hand out the papers to all the students, and waited until everyone was finished. 

"Alright, now that that is settled, let's talk about your community service projects." Several of the students groaned at this, including Naruto, Kiba, and Kankuro. "Come on now, it's not that bad, 50 hours by April 1st is logical. It looks good on college applications as well as job applications, so you should do it without complaining." Most of the students rolled their eyes, who wants to do community service for jobs when they already have jobs, or for college when they know that they are likely to get into a college they want any way?

"I have the criteria for the actual project part of your community service now."

Kiba raised his hand, "Can we volunteer at an animal shelter?"

"Sure, that would be great." Iruka smiled and Kiba looked satisfied. Little did Iruka know, Kiba already volunteered at an animal shelter every weekend, and had for several years. He could get any verification paperwork signed no problem, and whatever project would be easy as well.

Sakura looked over the criteria and sighed. _Fuck, now I have to volunteer? Who volunteers anymore anyway? I guess I'll just have to bs it, no way I'm wasting any of my free time helping people I don't even know._

Ino noticed the look on her best friend's face and sighed as well. _She's gettin' herself in too deep, I can tell. _Ino was growing more and more concerned about her friend and the people she was with. _Those other 'friends' of hers are gonna screw her over soon, why doesn't she see it. Or, rather, why doesn't she do anything about it. Shika says she's gonna get us some storage space, wonder what kind of people she's gonna get in touch with for that. I wish Shika had said no, but we need it, I can't stand that place anymore now that-_

"Ino? Ino!" Iruka yelled her name louder and Ino was thrown from the tracks of her train of thought.

"What?" she asked trying to play it cool.

"I wanted to hear what you thought of the reading last night?" Iruka looked slightly impatient, and her friends around her were slightly confused.

"Oh, um, I don't know, nothing really. I just read it, I didn't ponder it or anything." Ino decided to answer truthfully. Lying would only cause problems.

"Okay then, well, did anything really stick out at you. Was there a quote or something?"

Ino thought for a moment she remembered re-reading a certain part several times, but she couldn't really remember what or why. "No, nothing."

Iruka sighed, "Well, from now on, I expect all of you to take notes on the reading about things that impact you in some way."

Naruto moaned, "As if reading wasn't punishment enough, thanks a lot."

Ino rolled her eyes and went back to thinking about Sakura.

Within a few minutes, however, her thoughts were again cut short with the ringing of the bell. The class scrambled out of their seats and out the door. Ino went on ahead, not bothering to wait for Sakura or anyone else like she normally does.

Naruto was waiting outside the classroom door for Sasuke, also in deep thought, a rarity for someone like him. When he saw that familiar spiked raven head exit the room he stopped him. "Hey, Sasuke, what's wrong with you lately? You're starting to act more and more like Gaara with you attitude, is everything okay?" Naruto looked into Sasuke's deep dark eyes as they walked down the crowded hallway.

"Hn." _It's none of your business._

"Yes it is Sasuke, we're best friends and I can tell something is wrong, please tell me, I'm kinda worried about you." Sasuke stopped walking and thought about what his blonde dimwit of a friend had just said.

_He's worried about me, something my family doesn't even know exists. _"It's, just, Itachi came back for a bit. Nothing that bad, I guess his presence just tweeks me is all." Sasuke looked away from his friend and began to fiddle with someone else's locker, he hated showing weakness or vulnerability.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. Guess I thought that when he left for college we wouldn't have to deal with him again. I never really liked him, or any of those guys he hung out with, they were scary." Naruto paused for a moment when the minute bell rang. "Come on Sasuke, let's get going, you know how Kurenai is if we're late. God government is so boring." Naruto made a dramatic hand motion and Sasuke chuckled.

Before they entered the classroom, Naruto turned to Sasuke and cerulean met ebony. There was a brief silence as they reveled in each other's gaze before Naruto said quietly, "If you ever need to talk or anything, you always know where to find me." Naruto gave his trademark wide smile when Sasuke nodded, and the two entered the classroom right as the tardy bell rang. All throughout the class, Sasuke felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and whenever he thought of his blonde savior his heart fluttered in happiness and relief.

* * *

Kankuro stood outside the auditorium smoking a cigarette. Normally, it would be risky to smoke on school property, but fortunately he and Gaara knew every good smoking spot on the entire campus. The auditorium was in the back of the school, and the doors faced the fields, so hardly anyone was back there during the day, especially in the morning. He was relaxing and thinking about what might happen this weekend. Although he wasn't one to show it like Gaara, he was just as worried-and curious-as his younger brother was. It wasn't like his uncle to call like that unless something very important was going on. 

He heard the door to the auditorium open and he jumped and dropped his cigarette on the ground. He was about to stamp it out when a female voice called out to him.

"Gettin' a bit jumpy in our old age aren't we?" Kankuro turned around and smiled at his girlfriend's face. They hooked up on a whim a bit before school started, and not many people knew about it. In fact, he was sure the only people who knew were Gaara, who didn't care, and Hinata, who probably just saw no reason to tell anyone.

"Screw you, what the hell do you expect?"

Tayuya walked up to him and kissed him lightly on the lips, "I expect you to not shit yourself everytime a door opens."

"Yeah, yeah, what are you doin' out here?" Kankuro picked up his dropped smoke and was about to take a drag before Tayuya grabbed it from him for herself.

"Meh, just fuckin' around." Kankuro laughed and lit another cigarette. "So, you doin' anythin' tonight?" Tayuya looked up at him with a slightly suggestive look on his face.

Kankuro frowned and took a drag, "Actually, yeah. My sis is comin' down for a visit, and we're probably goin' back to Suna this weekend. I don't know for how long, hopefully just for the weekend, not exactly my idea for a vacation." Tayuya nodded and looked slightly disappointed.

She looked up at him and smirked, "Doin' anythin' right now?"

Kankuro raised an eyebrow then matched her smirk. "Actually I'm free, what say you and I head over to the bathrooms in the 800 building and hang out." He grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him and sniffed at her neck.

"I have a better idea, my car's in the back parking lot, let's get out of this shit hole and go somewhere a bit nicer, like my house." Kankuro gave a big smile and pulled her to the parking lot to her car.

* * *

Neji looked over to the object of his affection. _Did I just think 'object of my affection'? How cliché…_ But that is what the bushy eye browed Lee was to him. School was over and Neji was making his way over to his car, conveniently parked next to Lee's.

"Hello, Neji!" Lee smiled a wide smile and waved, his muscular arms capturing the gaze of the approaching long haired man. _Now or never I guess. _He still couldn't figure out quite why he was so nervous about coming out to Lee. Of all people, Lee would probably be the most supportive and friendly about it.

"Um, hey Lee." Neji tried to hide his nervousness, but he could tell he had failed when Lee's smile fell.

"What is the matter my friend?" He stared into Neji's eyes intently and Neji was hypnotized.

"Um, well. It's complicated I guess." _Not really. I love you._

Lee placed a comforting hand on Neji's shoulder, and Neji blushed, "Do not fear Neji, whatever it is, I will offer my youthful advice."

_I love you dammit, I love you! Why must you make me say it! _"It's just that, er. Argh! I don't even know how to tell you."

"Just say what you are thinking." Lee had a feeling that something was deeply troubling his normally stoic friend, and he was determined to figure it out and help.

_Dammit. Okay, take a deep breath. Everything will be fine._ Neji did just that. Deep breath, 1…2…3, "Lee, I love you." Neji flinched a little at the words coming out of his mouth. So weak, so not him, but so true.

Lee froze slightly and went over the words his friend had said. "_Lee, I love you"_ _could it be true?_ Lee's was having trouble wrapping his head around it and did not say anything for a second longer than Neji would have liked. The white-eyed man's face fell and for a split moment, Lee thought he was going to cry. _What do I do?_ His head was full of thoughts, conflicting and troubling. He was confused. Finally his body chose a response before his conscious mind could catch up.

Neji's eyes widened as Lee stepped forward and placed a strong hand on his cheek, rubbing his thumb along the bone under his eye. He looked deeply into those normally eerie colorless irises and noticed for the first time a hint of lavender. Lee smiled gently and gave a short, but passionate none the less, kiss on the warm pink lips of the man before him. In the brief contact Neji felt like he was melting and floating at the same time. They parted and looked into each others eyes once more. Neji could read Lee's perfectly, for they only said one thing. _I love you too_.

Gaara was waiting restlessly in the den. He had been jittery the whole day, and had ended up going through two entire packs of cigarettes just to calm down. Kankuro had just escorted Tayuya out the door and was now waiting on the couch beside his anxious brother, casting an occasional glare at the twitching.

Gaara's head nearly hit the ceiling when the doorbell rang. Kankuro held back a chuckle when his normally cold, stoic, dark brother ran to the door like a child running to his birthday presents. The door was opened before Temari even dropped her finger from the bell and she was greeted with a glomp by the red head.

"Nice to see you too Gaara." She hugged him back and turned to Kankuro, "You too, little bro."

"Why am I 'little bro'? He's the small one." Kankuro pointed to a beaming (well, as beaming as he could be) Gaara.

Temari rolled her eyes and stepped inside the house. She dropped her bag off at the door with her shoes. "So, what are we gonna do?"

The brothers knew what she was referring too, and both of them looked away. Going to Suna was never a fun experience. The memories that city brought back were painful to all of them, each in different ways, but all painful. "Did he sound urgent?" Kankuro was trying to back out, and Temari knew this.

"Yeah. I don't want too, but it sounds like we're gonna be goin' over there for a day." As Temari finished her sentence, a tone of bitterness broke through. They both looked over at Gaara, fully knowing that this was hardest on him. Their last visit wasn't exactly what he would call pleasant.

"Will we only be there for a day?" He sounded desperate and Temari walked over and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Just a day, maybe less if we can help it, I promise." She smiled her warmest smile when he looked at her, and he tried to return it, but abandoned the endeavor shortly afterwords.

"Well, I guess we'll be leaving early tomorrow. What a relaxing weekend." Kankuro rolled his eyes and went up to his room.

"Don't worry, it'll be okay." Gaara nodded as Temari grabbed her stuff and walked up to her room.

_Yeah, it'll be okay, Temari's here._ Gaara nodded and left to get another pack of cigarettes. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight, and would need something to pass the time.

A knock at the door threw Ino from the tracks of her train of thought and she rose to answer it, already knowing who it was.

"You ready?" Ino gave Shikamaru a brief hug and nodded in answer. Sakura and Neji walked out from behind him and entered the house with dollies to escort the many boxes out. "Geez, think you could bring any more, how troublesome." Shika smirked at Ino and tried to lighten the mood. It seemed to work a bit as Ino let a small smile curve her lips as the four friends went to work emptying the house of all of Ino's belongings.

Within two hours, the house was completely cleansed-or soiled, depending on how one looks at it-and the group meandered into Shikamaru's truck. Before they could take off, Ino jumped and ran back into the house. The three remaining gave each other curious looks, and when Ino returned, the looks were given to her. She held up a wad of cash, and the three understood.

_It's not like she'll even notice. This'll at least pay for band and maybe that class._ Ino jumped back on her train as the truck traveled along the dark road.

"Well, I was able to get a few months paid for, you think you can find a place by then?" Sakura looked at her friends. Ino nodded and Shikamaru shrugged. They decided not to discuss where Sakura got the money, and just accepted her help, and hoped that everything would turn out well.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait. I have probably lost the 2 or three fans i had before. Hopefully ill get back with the updates. I decided to change the direction of the story line a bit, and i didn't pre read this chapter. If there is something wrong, like a paragraph repeated or somethin strange like that. please let me know. again sorry for the wait.**


	5. Cold Water, Icy Heart

**Woot, another chapter! Hopefully updates will become more frequent. The main premise of this story I've decided is just the group's transition into adulthood since that is what I think senior year is all about.**

**Warning: This chapter is very dark!**

**Disclaimer: Pogo sticks are bouncy…and I don't own Naruto -breaks down sobbing-**

Chapter 5

The cool water hit the man's face in a powerful stream that stings slightly, but he doesn't move away from it. His mind was so clouded with thoughts and the cool temperature was soothing and mind clearing. He put his hands up against the back wall and tilted his head up farther so the water moved to his chest. With his other hand he pushed his perfect raven locks off of his face.

Last night had held quite a few revelations for Sasuke. Well, actually just one big one, he had a crush on Naruto. No, not a crush, that was for little school girls, not an Uchiha, especially Sasuke. Perhaps he just had a thing for the little fox-boy. Fox-boy? Sasuke's eyes visibly widened when he used the nick name that all the little girls who had crushes on him in elementary school made up. Sasuke shook his head to compose himself and turned off the water. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and began to dry off his hair.

When he finished in the bathroom he walked out and headed down the stairs. He needed to get out of the house that was continuously being defiled by that brother of his. Sasuke didn't understand why Itachi kept coming back home, but he wanted it to stop. What's worse is that he had been bringing his friends over in the middle of the night, and then he would leave with them. Sasuke had a feeling about what was going on, but felt that it would be better to just leave it be. Sure, he could go to the cops, but he had no physical proof; though the heir to the Uchiha powerhouse being accused of anything illegal would certainly spout an investigation…or a cover-up. Either way, it would just spell more trouble for Sasuke.

Right when he was on his way out the front door, a booming voice could be heard coming from the study down the hall, "Sasuke, could you come in here please?"

Sasuke flinched and clenched his fists, but did as he was told. He stood at the doorway to his father's study and waited for permission to enter. He clenched his fists again when he saw that Itachi was sitting in one of the chairs as well.

"Take a seat, Sasuke." The man did as he was told and sat down in the chair next to Itachi's. "As I'm sure you know, Sasuke, when you turn 18 in a few weeks, you and Itachi will be taking over my company." Sasuke nodded. Of course he knew it had been haunting him for a while now. "Now, if it were up to me, I would give the whole company to Itachi as I do not think you are able to handle a big company such as this." It was all Sasuke could do to maintain his composure, but breaking down in front of his father was beyond unacceptable. "But as fate would have it, the contract states that both of you will take over once Sasuke comes of age. However, do not think that this means that it is a sure thing. If I find reason enough that deems you unsuitable for running the company with Itachi, then I can have you removed from the contract. That being said, these next few weeks, I will be keeping a close eye on you, so you better be careful. That is all you two."

"Yes sir." The brothers said in unison, and rose from their respective seats, Itachi with a smirk, Sasuke with a scowl. Once the two exited the study and the door was closed, Sasuke looked over at Itachi with death in his eyes.

"You better be careful too." Sasuke said nothing more, just turned on his heel and walked out the door. Itachi smirked, unaffected by his little brother's idol threats, as he too left to his room.

* * *

Naruto awoke with a start, covered in sweat with his blankets and sheets strewn across the floor. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were unfocused. '_What a horrible dream_' Naruto laid back down on his pillow and put his hands over his eyes, not bothering to wipe the sweat from his forehead. 

"_Sasuke, what's wrong, why aren't you talking to me!" Said man had his back facing Naruto, and turned his head slightly to look at the blond out of the corner of his eye. Naruto gasped at the look of pure hatred that was there and felt his eyes start to water. _

"_Sasuke, please, tell me what's going on!" Suddenly the scene changed and Naruto looked around what appeared to be the Uchiha Manor. In the middle of the room stood two Sasuke's, the present one and another that appeared to be six or seven years old. The younger one looked at Naruto and smiled while the elder version looked away, a look of horror upon his face._

_Naruto continued to watch, captivated and curious. The older Sasuke turned around and began to walk away, when Naruto tried to follow, he found he couldn't move. A scream was heard in the background and Naruto jumped. The younger Sasuke's smile disappeared and he started crying and ran off in one direction while the present Sasuke closed his eyes in pain and sprinted in the other direction. _

_The scene changed again and Naruto was in a small room with the younger Sasuke who was on his knees in tears. Naruto looked up and was met with the gaze of Itachi Uchiha. Naruto's face changed from confusion to anger and he glared at the older Uchiha. Itachi appeared to not see him and instead smirked at his younger brother._

"_What's the matter little brother?" Naruto continued to glare, but lowered his gaze to try to figure out what the younger Sasuke was crying about. Naruto gasped and became almost physically sick as his eyes fell upon the crumpled bodies of the brothers' parents._

_Itachi gave a maniacal laugh and began to walk over to the young Sasuke. Naruto tried to scream when he saw the dark man lift what looked like a samurai sword over the child's head. He couldn't move, couldn't breath, couldn't blink. His body stopped working. _

'_NO!' he tried to help. The younger Sasuke looked up in horror and fear before the blade came down cleanly through the child's neck. The floor became crimson as the small body collapsed. Itachi finally seemed to notice that Naruto was there and smirked again before nodding his head to the left of them. Naruto transferred his gaze and saw that the present Sasuke had returned, but instead of wearing a look of fear or anger—or any emotion whatsoever—he had the same stoic face that Naruto always attributed to him. _

_Suddenly Itachi was right behind him and said darkly in his ear "He will never talk to you. Never come to you. Never love you. He will never return your feelings, and will die because of it. Because of me." With those final words, Itachi was instantly behind Sasuke, his sword through his heart. He pulled it out and the body fell to the ground. Naruto could finally move again and began to run towards the body, but wasn't getting any closer. _

_The last thing he heard was Itachi's voice echoing in the distance "You will never reach him."_

* * *

Sakura finagled her way into her room when the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. "Jesus, what a long night." She pulled off her shirt and jeans and put on a pair of boxers. Her room was far too hot to wear a shirt so Sakura didn't bother and just kept her bra on. Sighing heavily out of sheer exhaustion she slumped into her bed. Actually, it was a very undignified collapse, letting herself fall and bounce a little before settling comfortably on her pillow. She relaxed for a minute before kicking her blankets off her bed out of frustration and uselessness. Finally she smiled happily and began to drift off into sleep. 

Unfortunately, life is not so pleasant, and the next minute her cell phone rang. _God fucking dammit, why the hell does this shit always gotta happen. I can't get two fucking minutes of goddamn sleep before some asshole decides to call at the ass-crack of dawn. Jesus fucking Christ. _After she finished her mental rant she rolled out of bed—literally—and crawled over to her phone. Looking at the number her eyes widened a bit before she answered it, not bothering to hide her anger.

"What."

"Come on now, is that any way to treat your superiors?" a smooth voice replied on the other end.

"What the fuck do you want? I was out all night and am in no mood to put up with your shit." Sakura was getting angrier by the second and knew she would pay for it eventually, but decided she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

"I got some friends coming down tonight, and we're gonna need some stuff. Unfortunately for me, I am not on the best of terms with him right now, so I need you to get the supply."

Sakura frowned, she wasn't his little slave. Sure, he was higher up on the totem pole, but the boss wouldn't be pleased if he was wussing out of his punishment. "No, deal with it yourself, I don't care about your beating." With that she hung up the phone and resisted the urge to throw it against the wall.

Getting back into her bed angrily she feared that she would probably not be able to sleep very peacefully. _Damn Uchiha._

* * *

Ino stretched her arms and back after getting out of the bed she shared with Shikamaru. She felt her joints crack angrily at the abuse they had received the past week in gym. She cringed at the memories before looking down at her sleeping boyfriend. He looked comfortable and at peace, so she decided to be somewhat nice and let him sleep—if only until she finished getting ready for the day. 

She grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. The warm water working wonders on her worn out muscles. Her thoughts momentarily wandered to her mother and if she even noticed her daughter had left. Ino let out a snort at this, _Yeah right, she probably forgot she even has a daughter_.

Ino sighed. Starting after her father left, Ino's mother's boyfriends had become increasingly violent and dangerous. That may not be the correct way to describe them; her mother had become increasingly lenient with them. Ino had learned very quickly to leave the house whenever one came over. When her mother got into cocaine, everything became even worse. Soon it was several guys, some women even, that would come over to the house causing all sorts of trouble.

Lathering up her body, her fingers ran over the raised mark on her chest right over her heart. She cringed at the memory. She was 16 years old when it happened.

"_Damn, they're here, I should leave." Ino picked up her keys and purse and quietly made her way out of her room and down the hall. She heard her mother and a few other people, one definitely a woman, talking loudly in the kitchen, obviously drunk or high, or both._

_Carefully she walked through the living room, doing her best to avoid being noticed. She failed miserably however when one of the men turned around and saw her. He broke out laughing and looked over at her mother, "What do we have here, hire some young babe to show us a good time, Trisha?"_

_Her mother was not amused and instead glared angrily at Ino who gulped. "No, the useless bitch hasn't grown a brain yet. Apparently she thinks she can just waltz right in here whenever she wants too." Her mother spat before she took another swig of beer._

"_Heh, I bet I could find a use for her." Another man got up and began to walk over to the frightened Ino._

"_I think she would make for a lot of fun." The woman this time was quickly behind Ino, her hands on the girl's hips. Ino tried to move away when the woman placed her lips on the side of her neck but was stopped when one of the men placed himself in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders._

_The woman's hands started to roam her body and her tongue came out to lick the small hickey that had appeared on Ino's neck. Ino cried out when the hands reached her breasts and began to massage lightly and the man rubbed his hips against hers. The woman behind her smirked and brought one of her hands down to go up Ino's shirt._

_When the hand reached her bra line, Ino let out a small moan. 'No! This is wrong! I don't like this!' All her inner rants meant nothing however, her body was betraying her mind._

"_Heh, would you look at that, little bitch likes it." The man grunted as he ground his hips into her again._

"_Figures she would, I always knew she was a slut." Her mother finished off her beer and made a disgusted face at the young woman in the room._

"_Well, I know how to deal with sluts." The man began to walk her backwards towards the wall and the woman stepped out of the way a bit, but continued her work on Ino's chest and neck. Suddenly she was slammed roughly against the wall and the man pulled out a knife. Ino gasped out of fear this time._

"_No, please, don't. Mom, help me!" She looked towards the woman on the couch as she opened another beer. Her mother had an indifferent look in her eyes and just took a drink._

"_Hmph. Don't bother asking for help bitch, you know what's comin' so you better just shut up and take it." When the man said this he placed the knife at the top of her shirt and cut down the front of Ino's body, slicing the fabric open and revealing her upper body. Ino cried out as the knife pierced her skin in between her breasts and a thin line of blood began to run down._

_The woman behind her ripped off what was left of her shirt as the man cut open the front of her bra with his knife. The only piece of clothing that was remaining was quickly discarded as the woman bit her shoulder hard enough to draw blood and the man started running the blade along her abdomen leaving a trail of red skin that was straining to remain closed._

"_Knock it off." The three people all looked up and back at Ino's mother, the two adults with confusion and Ino with relief. "Get her out of here, her face is ruining my good mood."_

"_B-but, Trisha—" _

"_I said I want her out of my house!" The man was cut off and he grunted turning back to Ino._

"_Consider yourself lucky bitch." With that she was handed the shreds of her shirt and pushed toward the door so hard she nearly fell over. She ran out of the house and jumped in her car before she broke down crying._

"Hey, Ino! You getting out any time soon, I need to use the bathroom!" Ino jerked her head up and turned off the water. Getting out of the shower she looked at the clock. She had been in the shower for almost an hour. She smiled softly, though, at the voice on the other side of the door. As horrible as that night was, something good did come out of it. That night she drove over to Shikamaru's house and spent the whole night crying in his arms, and he didn't complain once.

"Yeah, hang on a sec." She heard Shikamaru grunt on the other side and smiled again. She finished dressing quickly and opened the door to find her boyfriend leaning against the frame. She bopped him on the top of his head and he jerked awake.

"'Bout time, troublesome woman." Ino smacked the man on the arm lightly and stepped aside to let her boyfriend through. She went into the room and cleaned up her stuff a bit while waiting.

"So, we goin' anywhere today?" Ino jumped and dropped the book she was holding.

"Um, yeah, I need to get a few things at the mall. Shouldn't take too long, you don't need to come if you don't want too." Shikamaru cringed. He knew what those words meant. She was either pissed or sad about something and wanted to spend money and didn't want him there to see how much she was going to buy. He opened his mouth to try to convince her otherwise, but that always made her angrier and want to spend more money, which was entirely too troublesome.

"Um, okay. How long you gonna be gone?"

"I dunno, a couple of hours probably. I won't be back for lunch though." Shikamaru let out a sigh of relief. The longer she was gone, the more she wanted to think. If it was a short time, she was pissed and wanted to splurge. He was just glad she wasn't pissed.

"You okay?" He was a bit worried if she was sad though.

Ino smiled up at her boyfriend and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "I'll be fine, don't worry." With that, she turned and walked out of the room while putting her hair up. Shikamaru didn't move from his spot, he knew this move would have some side effects. Hopefully she'll be able to get along all right though.

Ino turned up her music and continued along the road singing along. When the song ended she reached into her glove box for her pack of cigarettes, but was sorely disappointed when she found the box empty.

"Dammit." She changed lanes and pulled off the freeway into a gas station. Walking up to the counter she thought she noticed someone familiar out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked she didn't see anyone she recognized. She shrugged and approached the counter. "Camel lights in a box please."

"Got ID?" Ino pulled her wallet out of her purse and handed the card to the man behind the register. He looked at it then at Ino and nodded before handing her the card and turning around to grab the pack.

"You really shouldn't smoke. You'll get cancer and ruin that pretty little body of yours." Ino turned around wide eyed and came face to face with a woman she really didn't want to see at the moment.

"What do you mean by that, _Anko_?" She said the gym teachers name with spite just to annoy the older woman. Ino smirked when she saw the woman's smile falter.

"That'll be 5.17 miss." Ino turned around and handed the man the cash before trying to leave the store. She was stopped with a tight grip on her wrist.

"Why don't I just show you, _Ino_." With that, Ino was turned around roughly and Anko's lips crashed into hers. Ino tried to back away, but Anko's grip was strong and there wasn't much that the smaller woman could do about it. Ino gasped when she felt something warm run along her lower lip and Anko's tongue forced its way in. Ino's tongue was quickly dominated even though she found herself fighting. As much as Ino wanted to get away from the woman, she couldn't help but admit that Anko was a good kisser. A _very_ good kisser.

Just as quickly as it started though, Anko pulled away, ending one of the greatest kisses of both of the women's lives. She leaned down to Ino's ear and whispered seductively "See you in gym." Smirking, Anko let go of the young woman and walked out of the store, leaving Ino to stand there with a blush on her face, tingling lips, and a throbbing between her legs.

_What the hell!_

* * *

"It's okay Gaara, we'll only be there for a few hours I promise." Temari was struggling to keep her little brother under control. He had been completely silent on the drive over, arms crossed, music blaring, cigarette in his mouth. Temari thought about scolding him about the smoking, but quickly decided against it. He wasn't even smoking really, just letting it sit between his lips, smoke rising above his head, ash falling down between his legs. When one finished, he would throw it out the window and light another one. Other than that, he didn't move a muscle. 

Temari could tell that he was doing his best to keep himself calm, but as they drew nearer to their fateful destination, it was becoming increasing difficult for him.

_You know what's gonna happen today, don't ya? That's right, you're gonna see all of your mistakes you worthless little fuck. Let's just hope that maybe you'll finally do something right for once you sardonic piece of shit._

Gaara outwardly winced at the words being yelled at him in his head. Kankuro noticed this and gave him a look that Gaara read perfectly. _Take your pills_. Gaara knew that they would help, if only slightly, but he didn't want to disappoint Temari.

_Good luck with that, she's already ashamed of you._

Gaara sighed and tried to focus on something else, something that would make him a little calmer. There are few things in the world that could do that for him, but fortunately, one of them was sitting right in front of him. He looked up at the rearview mirror and watched his sister. He watched her look of concentration on the road, the way her eyes moved back and forth observing the things around her. If he tried, he could see her lips move to the song that was playing on the radio that he couldn't hear. She looked back at him and gave him the calmest reassuring look she could muster. It may have been small, but it was truthful, and Gaara could tell.

The scenery changed almost as quickly as the song on the radio. In a matter of seconds almost, it changed from green and lively to blank, bare, sand and heat. They were almost there, and Gaara winced again.

The city was soon in their view, particularly the large jutting tower that was their father's building. Being the diplomat that he was, he made sure that not only did he live in the capitol building, he had it furnished to suit his needs, and that meant making no room for his three children. Shortly after he got elected, he sent his kids to Konoha, claiming that by having them go to a foreign university, relations between the two nations would strengthen. All three of them knew that that was complete bullshit. Relations would never get any better as long as that man was in power, they would inevitably worsen.

The guard at the border stopped them and asked to see their passports. Temari handed them out the window and the guard went wide-eyed for a moment before giving them back and opening the large gate (AN: What do you know, a wall on the border?).

The group drove through to the large city. They didn't bother stopping at a hotel, they knew that once they got done with whatever business that was needed of them, they would be leaving. Finagling their way through traffic and to the Capitol Building was more difficult than usual, there appeared to be a lot of commotion going on. Temari and Kankuro exchanged confused looks before finally entering the parking lot of the building that was no less crowded than the rest of the city.

The three got out and made their way to the entrance trying their best to not get knocked down by the many people crowding the vicinity. As they entered the building they were bombarded by several cameras and reporters and of course, questions.

"Are you the late President's children?"

"Why did he send you to another country?"

"Is it true that the late President was abducted by aliens and has his kidneys replaced with fried meat balls?"

-room goes silent and crickets chirp and some guy in the background coughs-(1)

"Um, that's enough questions, get out of here, these children don't even know what's going on." A very feminine looking man gets between the three and the reporters to separate them.

"Please ma'am, I'm sure they could answer a few questions."

A vein popped in the man's head and the three siblings had to hold back a giggle…well, Gaara had to hold back a smirk. "No, _Sir_, I'm afraid they will not be answering any questions, so please leave us be." With that said, he turned around and ushered the siblings to a door on the side of the room that lead to a hallway. They walked down the hall a few paces before entering an elevator. When the doors opened, the four entered and the still fuming man slammed his finger on a button.

"So, Yashamaru, what's all the commotion about?" Temari, managing to not laugh, asked the man.

"Huh? Oh, I'm surprised you don't know already. It's big news as you can see." The man gave the woman a surprised look.

"Know what?" Kankuro was getting slightly frustrated, he really didn't like not knowing what was going on.

The doors opened and Yashamaru escorted them down another long hallway to a set of large double doors. The guards posted at the doors nodded and opened them for the group to enter. Yashamaru made his way around the desk and motioned for the three to take the chairs in front of the desk. They all took their seats and Yashamaru sighed.

"He had a heart attack in his sleep the night before I called you. Your father is dead." Yashamaru spoke flatly, knowing better than to sugar coat.

As expected, the siblings wore looks that were a mixture of shock, relief, happiness, and curiosity. Yashamaru was not surprised to see that none of them broke down crying, he himself nearly jumped for joy when he heard the news.

"So, why did you call us here?" Kankuro spoke up.

"Well, under your father's rule, he managed to change the process from democratic to blood. In other words, the next leader of the country was not chosen by an election, or in this case, by the next lowest ranked leader, the Vice President. It went to the person next in his bloodline, me."

"You're the President!" Temari was shocked, she didn't remember hearing that her father had gotten rid of the electoral process.

"Yes. It seems he managed to keep this whole thing a secret, how I still can't figure out. Unfortunately, in order to fix all the problems the man caused, I will have to remain in office. I called you because I want you to come back to Suna and live with me."

"Really?" Both Temari and Kankuro asked in unison.

"Yes, your father kicking you out was cruel and just like him. I would like to get to know my niece and nephews better."

The three now all wore looks of shock. Sure, they loved their Uncle, he would always be there after their father was finished with them, but they didn't want to move in with him. The problem was that they hated the city; there were way too many bad memories here for them. Just the drive over, knowing that they would only stay for a few hours was almost too much for Gaara. They had grown used to Konoha since they moved there and they had made a lot of new friends. Hell, most people of Suna refused to be acquainted with them because of their father. Did any of them really want to return to a place that held such a dark past for them?

"I'm sorry, Yashamaru(2), but I'm afraid we'll have to turn down your offer." Temari was the first to speak. She already knew what her brothers were thinking, and what Kankuro was about to say, she just beat him too it.

"A-are you sure?"

"We're sure." Yashamaru looked back and forth between the three, finally stopping to look at Gaara, who hadn't spoken a word the entire time. The young man gave a small nod and Yashamaru sighed again.

"Very well, but don't think this means I'm gonna leave you alone." Yashamaru gave a wide smile and reached into his desk drawer. He pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Temari. She opened it and gasped. Inside was a check for a rather large amount, more than hers and Kankuro's yearly salaries combined.

"Y-Yashamaru?" She just looked at him wide eyed.

"Please, do not worry, that is money that your father should have been giving you the past year anyway, at least according to the law. You will also be getting checks from me every month from now on as well. I do expect some to go into savings, but you kids are far too young to be living like paupers. You need extra money, especially with all three of you being in college next year."

Temari felt like she had to protest, but knew her uncle never spoke truer words. If it wasn't for her scholarship, she wouldn't have even gone to the university, probably no college at all, just working. She nodded curtly and put the envelope in her purse.

"I do hope that you all will take the time to come and visit me every once in a while. As soon as I get this government straightened out, I will step down. Perhaps I will move to Konoha with you guys, this place is uncomfortable for me as well."

"That would be nice, and we'll make sure to do that, Yashamaru." Temari smiled and Kankuro nodded.

"Well, I suppose you three would like to get home then, unless you would like to spend the night." He saw their faces changed and shook his head, "that's okay then, go ahead and leave, you have a long drive ahead of you."

The siblings nodded and stood up. Yashamaru walked around his desk and gave all three of them a hug before they departed for their long trip home, all feeling like a huge boulder had been lifted off their shoulders.

* * *

"So he said yes! Oh how cute!" Hinata was practically squealing in delight when Neji told her of the previous day's happenings with Lee. 

"Please Hinata, keep it down, I do not want your father to find out about this." Neji was very uneasy talking about this topic while on the premises, who knew where his father could be hiding.

"I'm sorry Neji, but you will have to tell him eventually. It would be better than if he found out."

"Yes, I know, but you know what he will do don't you? Hyuuga's are not notorious for being tolerant." Neji closed his eyes at the thought of what might happen.

"I am aware, Cousin, but remember that I will be by your side the entire time, just like I was before." Hinata gave him a reassuring smile and placed her hand over his, "I promise."

"Thank you." He gave her a small sincere smile back.

"So, when is your first date?"

"Hinata!"

**1. yeah, comic relief I guess…**

**2. I don't call most of my aunts and uncles by their title, just their name, so I wrote it like that. Did not mean to confuse any one.**

**Sorry that took so long. I actually have had parts of this written for a while, I just didn't have time to finish it, but I decided to utilize the three day weekend. I felt this was a good place to stop. As we can see, the plot is beginning to thicken. Yes, this chapter was very dark, and I tried to make the ending a bit chipper to make up for it. I hope this gets a good response as it is a bit different from the prior chapters. I don't think the next chapter will be up until the end of the semester (Dec 7), but I will try to get it done before then. R&R please **


	6. Darkness Knows No Secrets

**Yeah, yeah, I'm perpetually lazy I know. I'm thinking of renaming this story, so be on the lookout for it. **

**I know the last chapter didn't cover much time. I just wanted to provide some more info on the characters, not so much else. This chapter has actual plot in it, don't worry.**

**Disclaimer: I can't believe the gremlins followed me…and I don't own Naruto.**

**Warnings: language, minor drug content**

**Chapter 6**

_What the hell is the matter with me! That woman imposes herself all over me and I'm practically swooning! _An enraged and slightly hot Ino was practically charging through the mall, abandoning all previous thoughts of actual shopping. The actions she had received from Anko a few hours earlier were still fresh in her mind—and a few other places—and Ino was becoming an emotional cornucopia. She was angry, of course, what gave that woman the right to do what she did! She was a teacher for crying out loud; Ino being 18 shouldn't have made a damn difference. Her frustration was making her think about things that probably shouldn't have crossed her mind no matter how fucked up her childhood was.

It was the confusion that was making the greatest impact. It seemed her mind was only denying Anko because of the woman's age and status and the fact that Ino was happily in love with Shikamaru, but not because she disliked the gym teacher. Ino had to admit that there was definitely something attractive about the eccentric woman, and it killed the blonde to have to think that. Were her reasons for her attitude towards Anko really all that valid? Her mind was in chaos. Unfortunately her body knew exactly how it felt about Anko.

Ino stopped her quick march-like venture through the mall and walked over to a bench. She sat down slowly and placed her head in her empty hands. A few deep breaths in, and Ino's mind was starting to clear up a bit. Standing up slowly, Ino decided that the mall was not the correct place at the moment to take care of her issues with Anko. The blonde picked up her purse and made her way toward the exit at a slightly more relaxed pace, a new destination in mind.

* * *

The blazing summer sun was beating down on the man's long legs, but he ignored it. His music was igniting his ears almost to the point of painful, but he ignored that as well. His mind was overflowing. First he came to the most unexpected realization of his life, then his father had to announce that he was going to be following his own child. His dear older brother still being in the house certainly did not make things a damn bit better.

He adjusted his arms and put one forearm over his forehead in a futile attempt to cool his face off a bit. He had checked the thermometer as he left his house two hours ago and it had already hit 101 then. He suspected that his sheer need to get away from that retched house was what drove him into the heat. He sighed and wiped his brow.

The man sat up slowly and adjusted his mp3 player so it wouldn't fall off the bench and reached for his pack of smokes. He looked at the warning on the side and wondered how long it takes to get lung cancer, heart disease, or emphysema. One of those should get him away from his oh so loving family. He couldn't stop himself from snorting at his thought. _No wonder the others are always calling me emo, damn._

He was about to light the tobacco roll before something orange in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He jerked his head in the direction of the moving orange jersey and smiled a little. Walking toward his location wearing a slightly tired look was Naruto.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled out as he waved his free hand. Sasuke nodded his head in greeting while eyeing Naruto's gym bag curiously.

"Was gonna play some ball for a bit. Wanna join?" Naruto started passing the basketball from hand to hand. His dream from this morning was still bothering him, and despite its message, the man wanted to get closer to Sasuke and try to help him.

"It's too hot." He tried to make an excuse to be alone again, but he knew it was lame.

"Come on, it's not that hot. And besides Mr. Emo Basketball Star, you don't seem like the type that would turn down a challenge." Naruto smirked at the raised eyebrow he earned from the Uchiha. Whether it was from the name or the challenge, Naruto wasn't sure, but he knew that Sasuke would play now.

"Dobe." Sasuke lit his cigarette and leaned back into the bench a clear smirk on his countenance.

Naruto frowned and stopped passing the ball. "Hey! Why you gotta go there? A quick one-on-one ain't so bad. What does dobe even mean?" Of all the times the Uchiha and called Naruto that, he had never once asked what it meant, he was pretty sure it wasn't English.

Sasuke shook his head and threw his smoke down on the ground, the thing was stale anyway. "I don't know, I heard it somewhere and thought it suited you, that's all," that was a lie, he knew what it meant, but if Naruto didn't, that was his own fault. "And if you want a game that bad, you better not throw a hissy fit when you lose." He smirked again at the look on Naruto's face as he stood up.

The two men walked over to the abandoned court. The heat this time of year kept most people miles away from this place anyway and in their pools. Naruto set his bag and basketball down to do some stretches and a small warm up. Sasuke took off his shirt and chains and set them on top of Naruto's bag to do his own warm up. He wasn't exactly wearing the right gear for sports anyway, but the subtraction of a few objects would probably help.

When he was in the middle of stretching his calves, an exclamation from Naruto caused him to jump. He turned around looking concerned to see what was wrong.

"When did you get that!" Naruto was pointing at Sasuke with a look of surprise on his face. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked down at his body.

"No, on your back! That tattoo!" the excited Uzumaki jogged over and forcefully turned the Uchiha around to admire the ink.

"Huh? Oh, I got the line work done about a month ago, detail 3 weeks later. I'm going in next week again for the shading." Sasuke had a feeling that Naruto didn't hear a word that he said, but didn't mind. Occasionally the blonde's hands would trace over the intricate designs and all Sasuke could do was relax (1).

"That's cool, you'll have to show me when it's done. Now, time for me to whoop your ass!" Naruto smiled and picked up his basketball from the ground.

* * *

Ino pulled into the crowded gym parking lot. She grabbed her bag and stepped out of her car. Her brisk pace clearly showed how anxious she was to get some of her anger out of her system. Though it was ironic that she would go to a _gym_ of all places to try to get Anko off of her mind, Ino knew that it was the best way to relieve the tension building up inside her.

The sliding doors parted way to let her in and she walked up to the front desk her ID already visible. The man took it and slid it through the reader before handing it back to Ino. She continued to the back to where the locker rooms were and changed quickly. Stuffing her stuff into the locker and locking it with her lock, she grabbed her racket and glasses and exited the room.

Most of the racquetball courts were empty, so Ino was free to choose her favorite one right in front of the stairs. She like this one because she thought it was funny to see newbies jump when the ball hit the front wall. She stepped into the serving box and hit the ball at the back wall to begin her intricate dance between within the four walls.

There was something about racquetball that, oddly, calmed her down. Maybe it wasn't calmness that she felt, but the distraction that came from defending your face from a speeding rubber ball was what gave her the illusion of relaxation. Racquetball was the only reason she got a gym membership in the first place, and it was the only exercise that she did, but it was enough to clear her mind.

She reached and managed to smack the speeding ball that had worked its way right up against the wall and grunted as she ran into it. She tried to maneuver to the other side of the court in time to hit it again, but missed. When she turned around to pick up the rogue ball, she spotted two friendly faces walking up the stairs. She smirked and waited until they were at the top before smacking the ball right at the door causing the bulkier of the two to jump.

The two men shook their heads and waved at their friend. Ino opened the door and walked out to greet them.

"Damn girl! I swear one day you gonna break one of them things." The man that she had startled reached out and shook her hand, "How you doin' Ms. Yamanaka?"

Ino smiled and released his much larger hand, "Mr. Inuzuka. I'm doing alright, just getting a bit of exercise."

"That's what you call that? Looked like you was gettin' to beat that wall to a pulp."

"Well, I suppose it's the first thing that comes into mind when I see your gangster wannabe face at the top of the stairs." The other man chuckled at Inuzuka's reaction.

"Oh, hey Shino, how you been?" Ino shook hands with the smaller man and he simply nodded.

"Me and Bug-boy—"

"Bug-boy and I," Shino corrected.

"_Bug-boy and I_ here were about to play a few games." Inuzuka rolled his eyes at his friends need to correct his grammar, even if it was insulting.

"Kiba wants to play on the team this year." Shino added to his friend's explanation upon seeing the confused look that Ino had. Kiba wasn't the type of person to play team sports.

"Hell yeah. I got beef with one o' them fools over at Central. Whadahell kinda idiot do he think I am anyway?"

"Why you joining the racquetball team though? Kickin' his ass wasn't good enough for you?"Ino raised an eyebrow at her friend's odd behavior.

"See I was about to pop a cap in his ass, but then I remembered that time Bug-boy hit me with one of these racquetballs, and I thought that doin' this would be more fun. I mean causin' pain on some dude legally. That's good shit!"

"So, what you mean to say is that this guy had a lot of big friends and you were a pussy?" Ino smirked.

Kiba was about to respond when a blunt remark from Shino shut him up, "Exactly."

"Whatever, Bug-boy. At least I got some skills, though right?"

Shino gave a small nod and Kiba beamed. Ino rolled her eyes and spun her racket around. "Why don't you show me what you got then?"

* * *

"What was that you said about whoopin' my ass?" Though he was out of breath and dripping with sweat, the Uchiha couldn't hold back a gloat from his favorite rival.

"Psh, I almost had you there and you know it." Naruto was also out of breath, but he tried to sound like he could go another three rounds no problem. Sasuke rolled his eyes and bounced the ball back to the blonde.

The two walked over to the side of the court where they had set their stuff. Naruto picked up his water bottle to rehydrate while Sasuke put his clothes back on.

"What were you doing out there anyway?" Naruto nodded his head toward the bench that Sasuke had previously occupied.

"Hn." Immediately Sasuke reverted back to his stoic self.

"Please, Sasuke, why won't you talk to me?" Naruto looked over at the quiet man, hurt clear in his eyes.

A sigh escaped his lips as he looked down at the ground. The problem was that there was multiple reasons for his being there, one of them being the blonde haired man that stood before him. Unfortunately, he knew that telling Naruto that would only make things worse, so he decided to go with the generic answer when asked stuff like this. "My brother."

Naruto softened his face but did not take his eyes off of the Uchiha. He should have known that Itachi would have assisted in worsening his friend's state of mind. The older brother had been causing problems in his own life recently, it was a reincarnation of Itachi that had delivered the devastating messages in his dreams. "That's it?" Naruto was determined to help Sasuke through anything that might be troubling him.

"Yeah." The word was a short utterance, and Naruto didn't believe it for a second.

"Sasuke, I'm asking you as a friend. A good friend that's known you for years. What is wrong." Naruto was practically begging Sasuke to talk to him, but he would be damned if he let his dream come true.

"Dammit Naruto! Stop pushing it! There are just some things that I can't tell you!" Sasuke let out the biggest burst of emotion that he had in probably his entire life. His thoughts were jumbled, and he feared that if Naruto kept asking him questions he would spill every secret to the man.

The blonde clenched his fists for a moment. He hated how frustrated this was making him. First the dream, and now Sasuke shutting himself off even more from him. For a second he was tempted to knock some sense into the Uchiha, but decided to hold back. "I don't know what the problem is, Sasuke, but you need to know that when I told you that you could tell me anything, I damn well meant it. And I damn well expect you to tell me." Naruto picked up his stuff from the court and turned to leave.

"You wouldn't understand." Sasuke spoke so quietly that Naruto almost missed what he said, almost.

"I can't believe you would think that. We've known each other for almost our entire lives. Sure I may not understand the intricacies of your family and what not, but I understand when you're hurting, and that's what's important." Naruto was speaking from his heart desperately trying to get through to his friend.

Sasuke sighed, he was torn between spilling everything, and continuing to keep it all bottled up. "I can't." He continued quickly when he saw Naruto's face anger, "I don't even understand it all myself. Maybe when I'm able to figure it out we can talk." Sasuke hoped that the brief explination would be enough.

"Well, I still wish you could tell me more, but I know this is hard for you." Naruto put on a smile and gave his friend a thumbs up, "But I'll be here when you're ready." Sasuke smirked and shook his head.

"Thanks." Ignoring the way the blondes eyes dulled slightly, Sasuke began walking to the parking lot.

_As long as you don't leave, Sasuke. As long as you don't leave me, I'll let you move at your pace. I'll make sure I save you._

* * *

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Shino dropped his towel on his bag and stared at Ino.

She looked up curiously from her own towel, "Um, what are talkin' about?"

The spiky haired man shook his head and looked back at his energetic friend. Kiba was still running back and forth in the enclosed court. "My dog loving friend over there may be as dense as lead, but I am not. Something is going on with you, and I suspect it has something to do with gym, the coach maybe."

Ino dropped her towel and looked at the ground. "I'm not exactly sure what to say about it. What do you think it is?" _Maybe if he does most of the talking, I won't have to say much._

"Judging by the way you reacted when Kiba mentioned the problems the coach had been giving you in class, I'd say you are definitely not enjoying yourself." Shino knew what she was doing, so he began trying to lead her on.

"It's not the class so much. I feel like she singled me out."

"The coach?" At least Shino knew he was on the right track.

"Yeah. I mean the way Anko looks at me is just so…so…something. I don't know, it's like she's waiting for something." _So much for hoping Shino was dumb._

"Anko, huh. That's odd, didn't think that you would be on a first name basis with a teacher you can't stand." Shino looked the stunned blonde square in the eye, and he knew he had hit the mark when it looked like Ino had stopped breathing.

"W-why do you want to know? I don't think it is a good idea to talk about this, it can only make things worse." She knew that he probably knew more than she told, and that frightened her.

"Very well, but I suggest you tell Shikamaru about it, especially if it is something particularly dangerous." With those final words, he picked up his racket and, and re-entered the court with Kiba.

_Tell Shika? That sounds like a good idea, but is it? Is it really_?

* * *

The young Hyuuga paced back and forth in the large bedroom. His mumbles had grown louder and more desperate. His cousin watched in worry and amusement as he went through his charade.

The moment that Neji had been waiting for far too long was quickly approaching, and it was driving him crazy. _I can't believe I will be going on a date with him tonight! What in the world was I thinking? What if he changes his mind? What if he breaks up with me?_

"Neji! How could you think something like that?" Hinata stood up from the bed and put her hands on her cousin's shoulders. He hadn't realized it, but he had started voicing some of his thoughts out loud.

"I'm sorry, Hinata, but what do you expect me to think. What if he just agreed to go out with me because of pity? What if he is uncomfortable with this whole thing? What if—"

"Cousin, calm down. You're talking about Lee here, the nicest guy that any of us has ever met. Don't worry, if anything Lee is more worried than you." The young pale eyed woman smiled sweetly at her distraught cousin.

Neji took a deep breath and his face softened before he smiled, "I don't know about that, but thanks for helping."

Hinata just nodded and turned around to grab a brush. Neji sat down at the foot of the bed to let her brush his hair. He used to think it weird to let his female cousin do his hair, but now he accepted it just fine, rather enjoyed it actually and saw it as a relaxing scalp massage of sorts.

"So, what were your plans for tonight?" Hinata began to slowly work the brush through his long thick hair as she spoke to him.

"There is a movie that I know he's wanting to see. Probably gonna get some dinner first though." Neji felt all his past frustrations melt away as Hinata continued her ministrations.

"Dinner and a movie, and here I thought you would be one to avoid clichés." The woman rolled her eyes at her cousin's scoff and she put the brush back down on the bed. Neji sat up and turned around to give her a playful glare (2).

* * *

A tired and confused Ino stepped out of her car and walked up the short driveway to the front door. She went to unlock it, but it opened before she could even find the right key. Shikamaru stood there wearing a worried look.

"Oh, hey Shika." She said to him as happily as she could.

"How you feelin'?" He asked quietly as he stepped aside to let her in. As soon as he saw there were no bags in her hand that she was indeed sad about something.

Her face softened a bit at the sympathetic tone in his voice, "Better, thanks." She knew there was no point in trying to cover her feelings up, he would figure it out anyway.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He really wasn't much of a talker, but she was, and he had learned from experience that bottled up Ino feelings were not a force to be trifled with.

"There really isn't anything to talk about…I was just wondering how my mother is going to respond to my leaving is all." She looked away as she said this. Even though Shino was right, there was no way she could really tell Shikamaru about her troubles with Anko. Partially because she didn't think there was anything Shikamaru could do about it, and partially because she still didn't fully understand them herself.

"You don't think she'll come after you do you?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend as they sat down on the front room couch together.

"I don't know. That doesn't sound like her, and it's not like I'm not allowed to leave anyway." As a legal adult, she was free to leave the custody of her parents, but her mother was never one to obey the law. "I'm just afraid she'll try to keep me from telling the cops about her. I don't think she ever worried because she knows it's a lot harder to turn someone in that you live with. To tell you the truth, I'm afraid of what she might do."

"I don't think it's her you're afraid of, it's her…significant other." He watched her tense up when he said this and he put his arm around her. "Don't worry. She is cruel, dirty, and uncaring, but she's smart enough to know that if anything happens to you, she is the first person the cops would go to."

She nodded slowly. She'd have to keep a lookout for her though in case she wanted her money back. Ino sighed and rested her head on Shikamaru's shoulder. He reached for the remote and turned on the TV. The blonde looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe you just ruined a semi-romantic moment." He looked down at her and smirked before kissing her lightly on the forehead and turning back to the show.

Ino couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, however, that she was keeping the things with Anko from him. She just couldn't say much until she confronted the older woman about it though. _'I'll have to do that tomorrow before things get out of hand.'_

* * *

He was as prepared as he could be. The reservations were made, the tickets were bought, and his cousin had reassured him that everything would be like a wonderful dream. None of this however prevented his heart from jumping when the doorbell rang. Hinata giggled a bit and shoved him toward the heavy hinged piece of wood.

Neji took a deep breath to calm his nerves a bit and opened the door to meet with a sight so wonderful, he felt that if he were to die at that very moment, he would be happy to have that image be the last thing his living eyes ever saw. Though his face stayed with its stoic mask, the light in his eyes gave away his thoughts.

Lee had made a wondrous transformation, so much so that even Hinata couldn't help but blush. He had changed his hair ever so slightly, but somehow the difference was compounded when matched with his outfit. The collared silk shirt matched the shade of his eyes perfectly and made them both beautiful. He had ditched the sandals for a pair of polished boots. His pressed slacks finished off his ensemble and made him appear even taller and more built than he already was. All in all, he was a sight to behold.

Lee scratched the back of his head awkwardly snapping Neji out of his daze. Neji's clothes were not too different. His lilac shirt was tucked into his trousers and unbuttoned at the top revealing a black shirt underneath.

"Wow, Lee, you look wonderful!" Hinata decided to chime in and break the tension that had built. The two young men jerked their attention to the Hyuuga female who smiled in response.

"Thank you, Hinata. I have wanted to do this to my hair for a while, but I always thought it looked silly." Lee brought his hand up to his face and scratched his cheek subconsciously as a small blush formed.

"Oh, you should do it more often, it looks great! Doesn't it Neji?" The taller man simply smiled and nodded. Lee did indeed look great, but the normally stoic Hyuuga was still finding it difficult to put his thoughts and feelings out there.

"Well, I guess you two should be going now." Hinata smiled and began to usher the two men towards the door. Neji looked back at her and gave her a thankful look that she returned. She waved as they began to walk together to Neji's car. Once she heard the sound of the engine, she smiled and closed the door.

Her smile faded quickly however as she made the trek back to her room. As much as she knew Neji needed to come out to her father, she couldn't help but worry about what would happen if he did. Even though it would be worse if the patriarch found out himself, the consequences would be drastic either way. She sighed quietly as she closed her door. Her worry for her cousin was not without basis though. Neji had always been on thin ice with her father, ever since he was forced to take him in. Hinata frowned at the memory. That was a hard time for both her and her cousin.

Her stereo was turned on to let soft music flow through the room. She laid down on her large bed and began to think of what she would do if the worst happened and her father did find out. It was a strange thought to her though that she was actually planning to defy her father. Up until a few years ago, she never would have even dreamed of such a thing. Her shyness had almost left her now and even if it hadn't, this was something that she would do for her cousin anyway.

'_We can't lose him again…not like last time.'_

* * *

The sun was set and a much calmer Sasuke had finally returned to his home. His talk with Naruto had left him with more thoughts than when he started, however, and his mind was still reeling with problems. One thing was for sure, though, he couldn't tell his blonde friend anything, not yet.

His heavy steps echoed up the driveway to his house. He didn't really want to come back, but being gone all the time would just leave more reason for his father disowning him. Not that he minded all that much, but his pride would still be wounded, and he would rather die before he let Itachi beat him.

He continued up the long walkway to the door, but paused as he saw the large front door open. Coming towards him in all his disgusting glory was none other than his brother. Sasuke tensed and sent a glare Itachi's way. The tattooed man simply looked right back at him with a smirk on his face.

He always wondered why Sasuke hated him so, it wasn't as if he worked to be better than him on purpose. In fact, it was the other way around. Sasuke was the one that was always trying to outshine his brother, Itachi was just being himself. He began to close the distance between he and the teenager, the smirk never leaving his face. The taller man stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at the fuming one before him. "Well, well, well Little Brother, where have you been all day?" he asked smugly.

"None of your damn business." Sasuke felt like punching his brother, but was somehow able to restrain himself.

"Heh, you better be careful if you don't want to get caught by _father dearest_." Itachi let out a hint of spite at the last two words, but tried to cover it up with sarcasm. He couldn't tell if Sasuke noticed or not.

"You should talk. He may choose to not pay attention, but I know what you're up to." With those final words he pushed his way past Itachi and to the front door. He thought he heard Itachi chuckle before he entered the house, barely managing to not slam the door closed.

* * *

A small beat up car pulled into the driveway of an equally worn down house. Three young adults climbed out of the vehicle and stretched their muscles.

"Ugh, finally. I thought we'd never get home." A young man in a hat scratched his head and smiled.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic, Kankuro." Temari shook her head as she slammed her door shut, although the nearly 10 hours spent on the road that day explained where he was coming from. Gaara said nothing and instead just closed his door and made his way up the steps to the front door.

The dark house was a welcome sight. After hearing his father had died, the voice went away for a while. He was almost happy for a moment, even turning off his music and listening to what was on the car radio. It didn't last long though. Now he was being plagued by even more thoughts, scary ones. His paranoia of his father was suffocating him.

He jumped when the door closed behind him. The red-head turned around to see his two older siblings walking towards him. Temari had a calm look on her face and Kankuro was smiling.

_Look at how happy they are. How does it feel to know that you're going to destroy their happiness?_

Gaara sighed and turned around to go to his room. Kankuro caught him before he could get far though and turned him around smile never leaving his face. "What are you so down about? Did you see that check Yashamaru gave us? And Dad's gone, you can finally relax!" Kankuro seemed ecstatic but confused about Gaara's odd behavior. He took his hand off the smaller man's shoulder and scratched the back of his neck anxiously.

Temari sighed and walked up to her two brothers. "He's right Gaara, it's okay to relax now." She gave her youngest brother a small smile and saw his shoulders relax. "Well, I don't know about you two but I'm starving, why don't we order some pizza and watch a movie or something?" Kankuro nodded his head wildly at the suggestion and left to get the phone book. Gaara looked up at her and subconsciously rubbed his stomach. He hadn't really eaten since lunch on Thursday and was now feeling it.

"That sounds good." He turned around to continue down the hallway to his room when Kankuro returned asking them all what they want. They both shrugged and Kankuro smiled, that meant he could get whatever he wanted. Gaara sighed and entered his room.

'_I'll just pick off the olives.'_ His mind continued with the olives for a few moments before it was interrupted again.

_Don't fucking think that just because you're going to eat dinner together that you're going to become a goddamn family. You're going to destroy any chance that they might have had with happiness. Nothing has changed._

Gaara grit his teeth and covered his ears. He couldn't deal with this right now. He picked up his pill bottle and held it tightly in his hand. The small white and red capsules looked so strange inside their orange casing to him. His other hand came up and rested on the cap.

What would Temari think? Would she even find out?

No, he couldn't think like that. Of course she would find out, and even if she didn't, he would feel like he was betraying her anyway.

_Does it matter? You've already done enough. What's one more thing to add to the pathetically long list?_

He was in turmoil. He knew the pills would help, that's what they were for…but he thought he could fight it, could stay in control. He hated that look Temari got when he took his meds when he didn't need too. The voices weren't that bad now, he could do it, at least until tomorrow.

He set the bottle on the desk roughly and walked over to his stereo. Hesitating a second to consider the pills again, he roughly pushed the power button. The music came at him so loudly he could almost feel the sound waves hit his body. With a plop on his bed Gaara pulled out his drumsticks and drum pad from his backpack. He may have been a bass player at heart, but the shear concentration required for him to successfully play the rhythms was a better distraction at the moment. Even though he couldn't hear it over the music he continued to tap along with the beat of the song, hoping that whatever resided in his mind would grow annoyed enough to leave.

* * *

Sakura got out of her vehicle hesitantly. She always hated coming here, no matter what the circumstances were. She remembered almost turning around and leaving the first time, hell she probably would have if she had had a choice. At least tonight would be a little bit more interesting.

The large building glared down at her as she approached its entrance. She always thought it was a big cliché whenever they met here, almost as cliché as an alley. The two guys at the front glared at her but opened up the door anyway. She didn't mind, she was used to it being a female within this particular group. They couldn't do anything to her without permission anyway.

Her pink hair stood out in the dark room greatly and she saw every head in the vicinity turn in her direction. Most turned back around to their business, but a few gazes remained fixed on her. She ignored them and went to the opposite side. There was a man standing there with long blonde hair. He smirked when he saw her and held out his hand. Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of cash before slapping it down into his open palm as she grabbed the package he held out to her.

"Still not gonna count it I see." Sakura spoke to the man quietly, a smirk now on her face.

"I think you're well aware of the consequences by now." The man shoved the money in his pocket before pointing to his right where a few people were congregating. "Speaking of which…" Sakura looked where he was pointing and her smirk faltered a fraction of an inch.

'_Well, I did warn him.'_ She scoffed at the scene before her. Itachi Uchiha had just shown up, apparently unprepared. He was getting surrounded by half a dozen other men, one of which was holding a metal pipe. Some words were spoken that she couldn't hear clearly, but it didn't matter, she knew what they were about. He wasn't doing his job.

Shaking her head she turned around and headed toward the exit. The blonde called out to her before she got too far, however, "Hey, aren't you going to watch?" he looked somewhat confused at her actions.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." As soon as she finished her sentence, a loud _crack_ was heard followed by a grunt. She looked over to see Itachi reach up to grab his nose before getting hit hard in the back by the guy with the pipe. It wasn't long before the man fell to the ground as the beating continued.

Sakura rolled her eyes and continued on her way out. Shouts and hits heard until the door closed behind her.

'_No wonder Ino is worried about me.'_ She thought sarcastically as she got in her car and pulled away from the intimidating building.

* * *

1) If you want to see a drawing of Sasuke's tattoo, pm me, and I'll send you the link when I scan it in. Sorry I didn't describe it, but I've noticed when you try to explain a drawing with words, you can't do it justice.

2) Yeah, apparently I'm a sucker for hyuugacest as well. Not in this story though I promise! Never said I wouldn't insinuate though…

**Wow, that sure took a long time to get out. Even though it took me like 6 months to finish, I wrote this in about 4 sitings XD ...yeah, my bad. So we see some more plot development here and the introduction of some more characters. Yeah, I made Kiba gangster cause I could, and he wont play a major part in this story for a while. Please R&R**


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